Lessons
by Bluefeathermuse
Summary: "Can you teach me what you know about sex?" It started off as a simple question, but Sakura knew that involving Kakashi in her endeavors was bound to end up differently than she expected.
1. Twenty-year-old Virgin

**Quick Info~**

Hi guys! I've finally fallen into the Naruto fandom. I knew it was only a matter of time, really. This story has been bouncing around in my head for awhile now, and I figured that today would be the perfect day to post it since September 15th is Kakashi's birthday! Like many KakaSaku stories, there's going to be smut (hence the M rating), but there will also be a lot of fluff and humor that you just can't escape when writing these two. It takes place in the Naruto-verse; although, instead of Sasuke returning after the 4th Shinobi War, he decides to continue his travels without repairing his relationship with Naruto, Sakura, etc. Let me know what you guys think! I'm always open to suggestions. :) Enjoy!

* * *

Ino was staring at Sakura with the same expression she had been using since they were kids. Narrowed eyes that made her nose crinkle and thin, slightly pursed lips. It was a look Sakura knew well, and a look that Ino saved only for her.

When Sakura was seven, she admitted that she couldn't swim, followed by the Ino-expression. When Sakura was nine, she tried to cut and style her own bangs, followed by the Ino-expression. When Sakura decided that she had a crush on Sasuke, the Ino-expression was quickly replaced with haughty anger, but it was still present nonetheless.

So when the pair discussed what Sakura was going to do for her twentieth birthday, she should've known better than to drop _that_ bomb on Ino.

"What do you mean you're still a virgin?" Ino asked loudly.

Sakura nearly clamped one hand over her headstrong friend's mouth. Instead, she merely let out a low hiss and drummed her fingers on the table impatiently. Their waiter really should've arrived with their food already. That way Sakura could've told Ino the truth while she had a mouthful of ramen. Receiving a face full of partially chewed noodles would've been preferable to the entire population of Konoha knowing about her sex life.

"I just…haven't met the right person yet," Sakura mumbled.

But the Ino-expression was still there, so Sakura knew she wasn't out of the doghouse yet.

"You mean Sasuke hasn't been in town long enough for you to beg and plead." Ino snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No!" Sakura exclaimed, her pitch rising higher in that telltale way it did whenever she was lying.

Ino raised an eyebrow and Sakura sighed in defeat.

"Fine," she continued. "But it isn't as easy as it looks. Men practically throw themselves at you since you've got a big enough rack to cushion their fall. And what do I have to offer? A flat chest and a bargain coupon for Ichiraku."

"I'm sure Naruto would eat the ramen right off of your flat chest. At least you'll get to second base," Ino said, giggling.

Sakura didn't seem to think her comment was as funny, so Ino coughed awkwardly and suppressed her laughter. Leaning across the table, Ino reached out to cup Sakura's hands around her own.

"Look, you've got one month until you turn twenty. That's more than enough time to find someone who is worthy of deflowering the fifth Hokage's former apprentice."

Before Sakura had time to retort, a conveniently timed waiter brought out their food. (Two heaping, steaming bowls of shoyu ramen with enough noodles to feed Naruto twice over.) Sakura sighed and stared unhappily at her reflection in the bowl.

She was pretty. A dainty type of pretty that could knock you into the next century if you messed with her. But she wasn't _hot_ by any means. She was the type of girl you could take home to your mom, not the type to lose self-control over.

"If you keep frowning like that you'll give yourself wrinkles," Ino said in between mouthfuls of ramen.

Sakura was only half listening. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar face, eye-smiling his way straight into the comfiest booth in the restaurant. She muttered under her breath. Kakashi Hatake never used those tricks to get good seats when he ate with her. Then again, he did always manage to force her into paying, so maybe his tricks weren't lost on her after all?

She couldn't help but notice how odd it was to see him sitting alone. His nose was buried in one of his filthy Icha Icha books, his eyes skimming the page lazily. Despite his nonchalant face, Sakura could've sworn that she saw the faintest hint of pink creeping up just above his mask. She didn't blame him either, as she had seen first hand some of Jiraiya's most lewd plotlines. On one particularly long trip, Kakashi had fallen asleep with the book left open near his pack. It only took reading about half of a page before Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke felt like they needed to bleach their eyes.

"—and then there's Sai, but I've got him pretty much wrapped up and stored away for Christmas, if you know what I'm saying, Sakura. Sakura? Hey, are you even listening to me?"

"Mm, what?" Sakura blinked a few times, tearing her eyes away from her old teacher and focusing on Ino again.

"Who were you looking—oh!" Ino inhaled sharply as a wide grin complete with sparkling mischief spread across her face.

She clicked her tongue a few times as Sakura stared at her in utter confusion.

"What's wrong with you, Pig?" Sakura asked, feeling her face begin to flush despite the fact that she had no idea why Ino was behaving so strangely.

"You would choose the only other man in all of Konoha who is just as unobtainable as Sasuke," Ino said, shaking her head. "I'm starting to think that you _like_ the idea of being a virgin forever."

"You've got to stop being so cryptic. I don't even know who you're talking—"

"Although, I did hear a rumor that Kakashi-sensei likes virgins, so you might have a shot," Ino mused, placing her hand on her chin in thought.

The noise Sakura made resembled something similar to a choking, dying cat. If her jaw could've hit the floor, it would've crashed through the tile and continued barreling straight into the earth.

"Whoa, hold on. You think that I'm attracted to… You think I want to have sex… with _Kakashi-sensei_?" Sakura blurted.

She felt as though the crushing silence that followed was due to her outburst. Even though she couldn't bring herself to look anywhere but directly at Ino, she felt as though dozens of Leaf Village citizens' eyes were boring holes into her skull from every angle. Citizens that included, mind you, the aforementioned Kakashi-sensei himself.

Ino smiled apologetically as Sakura began to turn every shade of red under the sun. "I'm not saying that you do or don't. I'm just saying that if you did, it wouldn't be a bad choice. He's a great shinobi and I'm sure all of those years of training have left him in impeccable shape."

Imagining Kakashi in 'impeccable shape' was not one of Sakura's usual thoughts. But Ino wasn't technically wrong. As a medical ninja, Sakura had seen more than her fair share of Kakashi's body. But in the heat of battle, she wasn't exactly tracing his abs with her fingertips.

"Anyway, I promised Shikamaru that I'd help him pick out an apology bouquet for Temari. Something about him calling one of Gaara's Kazekage meetings 'a drag'," Ino said, standing and fishing through her purse for her wallet.

"You're just going to leave me in here after I used 'sex' in the same sentence as my former teacher?" Sakura hissed incredulously.

"No one noticed," Ino said, waving away Sakura's worries with her hand.

As Ino briskly hurried out the restaurant door, Sakura felt herself wishing that she could slide into the bowl of ramen and hide in the warm broth until everyone in the general vicinity left. She couldn't help but wonder just how Ino became such a sexually confident young woman. It was almost as if she had blossomed overnight. The closest Sakura had ever come to reaching anywhere past first base was when her breasts got too close to the kebab skewers Choji was swiftly reaching for.

"So she didn't skip out on paying. Interesting."

Sakura froze as a cool, tenor voice washed over her like a calming wave. Kakashi's eyes stayed glued to his book, his expression as seemingly nonchalant as always.

"Well, some people have the decency to pay when they say they will," Sakura retorted, happy to find that her vivacious fire could still emerge underneath all of the layers of embarrassment.

"That sounds like it's directed towards me," Kakashi said simply, sitting across from her.

"Gee, I wonder why," Sakura muttered.

Kakashi gave her a quick eye smile before returning to his book. Since he didn't respond, Sakura was not quite sure what to say next. She found herself aimlessly turning her fork over and over again in the bowl and watching as the ripples hit the porcelain sides.

She typically tried not to let Ino get to her, but the longer she sat there, the longer she worried. What if Ino was right and Sakura was missing out? Was it really that strange to be a twenty-year-old virgin? She didn't ask the others much about their personal lives, but she was almost positive that Naruto and Hinata had decided to take that next step. Hinata was a blushing fool for an entire day after she and Naruto emerged from his apartment with messy hair and rumpled clothes. If the rumors were true, that joyful bellowing coming from Rock Lee's place wasn't because of extreme squats. Even someone as lazy as Shikamaru got around to having sex!

So Sakura did the only logical thing she could think of in that moment.

"Kakashi-sensei, can I ask you a question?" she asked.

"Hmm?" One raised eyebrow followed the sound.

"How old were you when you lost your virginity?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment and Sakura could tell that he was taking in her question carefully. A small smile tugged at his lips as he carefully flicked one thumb over the corner of the page he was reading and dog-eared his spot. He set the book down and his eyes flashed up to meet Sakura's.

"Not exactly the type of question I thought I'd be hearing today," he said.

Sakura frowned. Did she really expect an answer from the most cryptic man on the planet?

"O- _kay_ ," she said, drawing out the word as she attempted to quickly think of a way to rephrase her question. "Do you think that twenty is too old to still be a virgin?"

"Not necessarily," Kakashi said. "But I don't think you need to worry about Ino, if Sai is telling the truth."

"N-no, it's not Ino… I just… Please, sensei, could you just tell me how old you were?"

"Well, I lived through a war," Kakashi said. "Sex wasn't as intimate of a thing for ninja on the battlefield. I'd say I was probably about sixteen, though."

Sakura's face fell. Why did she expect a different answer? She hadn't so much as seen Kakashi with any women other than the few that he worked with, let alone see him out on a date. It made sense that all of his sexual encounters happened long before she even knew of his existence.

"My birthday is coming up," Sakura said quietly, dropping her gaze towards the floor.

Kakashi was smiling again. "I know."

"I'm turning twenty," Sakura said, her voice barely audible.

Despite her averted gaze, she almost thought that she could see a hint of realization flicker in his eyes. He leaned back, inhaling slowly and pocketing his book.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura started, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides.

She just had to ask. Those little words that Ino was convinced every man wanted to hear. The worst he could do was tell her no, pat her head, and be on his way.

Kakashi was staring at her evenly, calmly. He had the composure of a statue compared to how shaky Sakura was feeling.

"Can you teach me what you know about sex?"


	2. The Art of Seduction

**Quick Info~**

I'm so surprised how many awesome people out there liked the first chapter! A huge thank you to all of you! I hope this second chapter can reaffirm those feelings (or make them stronger, as the case may be). I know we're all awaiting Kakashi's response, so I won't write a lot here, but once again thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed/read! And hopefully my attempt at writing a scene from Icha Icha isn't too cringe-y... ;) Enjoy!

Warning: spoilers for Shippuden ahead! (I'm assuming you'll know them already if you know anything about Naruto, but I thought I'd put it here just in case)

* * *

Kakashi stayed calm, holding her gaze like the conversation they were having was as normal as talking about the weather. He could tell that she was nervous, what with all of her fidgeting and knuckle cracking. If he was being honest, he wasn't too surprised by her question. It was easy enough to tell where the conversation was headed.

"I-I don't mean I want to, umm, _with_ you," Sakura clarified suddenly, her hand flinging out from underneath the table as she held it up and waved around in the air to accompany her nervous laughter.

"Of course not." Kakashi nodded, the side of his mask tugging upward in utter amusement.

"Yeah, I just thought you could give me some pointers. I am more than capable of finding my own man," she said.

"I don't doubt it, Sakura."

Kakashi was smiling at her in that calming way of his. He used to use that smile quite often around her. Whenever she would get frustrated that Naruto and Sasuke were getting more attention, Kakashi would smile that smile and teach her something new. Whenever she'd find herself struggling to grasp a new jutsu, Kakashi would smile that smile and go over the steps with her until she felt more confident. That calming smile was always there when she needed it most. After Sasuke left… After Jiraiya and Neji…

"So you'll do it?" she asked.

Kakashi simply chuckled and patted her head. "I'll stop by your place in a few hours."

Sakura was stunned. So stunned in fact, that she couldn't even find enough feeling in her arm to wave goodbye to him as he disappeared through the restaurant door. Part of her wanted to grab Kakashi by the collar before dragging him back to the table and demanding why he felt the desire to tease so insistently. Another part of her wanted to rush home, puff little spritzes of perfume all around the room, and fluff all of the pillows in the way she knew he liked. But the most prominent part, the part of her brain that was getting jumbled with too many thoughts and feelings, just wanted to stand up on the table and scream until her voice went raw.

Instead, she settled for slapping enough coins to pay for her portion of the meal on the table before making the longest trek of her life back to her tiny apartment.

Even though she hadn't done anything wrong, she still felt like people were staring as she walked anxiously along the dusty roads of the Leaf Village. It took all of her restraint to not yell 'take a picture! It'll last longer!' at an elderly couple who happened to let their gaze linger too long in her direction.

"Sakura!"

"No, I'm not about to have sex with any senseis around here so please stop bothering me about it!" Sakura yelled, balling her hands into fists at her sides and spinning around to meet whichever poor soul tried to talk to her.

Thankfully, it was just Naruto, and as soon as Sakura saw his confused face, she wasn't sure whether to be angrier with him or apologetic.

"I didn't think you would," Naruto said earnestly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"Sorry," Sakura mumbled weakly. "I thought you were Ino."

"Oh," Naruto said awkwardly.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" she asked.

That familiar Naruto-grin lit up his face and all of the previous discomfort melted away like it was never even there to begin with. It was one of Sakura's favorite things about talking to him. Sure, he was still the number one hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja, but he was optimistic and a breeze to talk to regardless.

"Fire away," Naruto said.

"Okay, well, umm, let's just say that you're going to learn a new jutsu. How much preparation would you do in advance?" Sakura asked, wincing at how bizarre she sounded.

And it must have sounded pretty bizarre, because Naruto's smile was quickly replaced with furrowed eyebrows and thin, confused lips.

"Are you feelin' alright, Sakura? That's like a total Genin question," Naruto said.

Sakura had half a mind to knock his lights out where he stood.

"Just answer it," she said through gritted teeth.

Naruto shrugged. "Alright, well I'd probably warm up a bit and ask as many questions about the jutsu as I could. But Kakashi-sensei and Pervy sage didn't like a whole lot of questions, so I guess practice makes perfect, right?"

Sakura reddened at the thought of practicing what Kakashi was about to teach her. Perhaps using justu as a metaphor wasn't the best strategy when it came to asking Naruto?

"Okay, thanks. I-I guess," Sakura stammered, turning on her heel to leave.

If she moved fast enough she could be well out of the Leaf Village by the time anyone even realized she was gone.

"You might want to go home and take your temperature!" Naruto called after her. "Your face is redder than a tomato!"

Sakura groaned and slapped her hands to her cheeks. She weaved in and out of people, the distance to her apartment seemingly stretching further away the closer she got.

She supposed that Naruto was at least a little bit helpful, if she could get past his daft eagerness approaching the subject. She could ask Kakashi as many questions as she so pleased. After all, it wasn't like the lesson was going to be anything but verbal…

Sakura's apartment was cute but not worth much in terms of conversation. She often felt like that little apartment resembled her in more ways than she cared to admit. Yet it suited all of her needs: shelter, food, and a place to sleep. It wasn't like she spent a lot of time in it. That being said, she wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to step inside again after Kakashi's visit.

She turned the key in the lock slowly, as if avoiding going into the room was going to stop Kakashi from showing up. But she knew the longer she procrastinated, the less time she'd have to make the place look presentable (although to the average eye, Sakura's apartment was always pristine).

"Yo." One raised hand and a crinkled eye-smile later, Sakura was sure she had jumped out of her skin and was melting into the earth.

Kakashi was already sitting on her white loveseat with his elbow propped up against a salmon colored pillow. He had taken the liberty to bring along his entire collection of Icha Icha books, which were promptly stacked to the ceiling on her coffee table.

"How did you…?" Sakura started to ask, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"I am a ninja, Sakura," Kakashi responded simply.

"Right," she mumbled, hurriedly closing the door behind her and flicking the lock shut with her thumb.

"You seem nervous," Kakashi observed.

"What? No. What makes you say that?" Sakura asked, her voice rising in pitch as one finger twirled anxiously in her hair.

Kakashi's eyes rolled over her body, gesturing to each nervous habit she was showing. "We've known each other long enough that I could probably tell you what you ate for breakfast this morning."

Sakura scoffed. "Oh yeah? Well I'm much more mature now, so I don't think you'll be able to—"

"Honey oatmeal with chopped up strawberries and more than a few spoonfuls of sugar on top," Kakashi said.

Sakura gulped. She had remembered to brush her teeth that morning right?

"Well, just because my breakfast choices haven't changed, that doesn't mean I'm not mature…" she muttered.

"I don't doubt that," Kakashi said.

Sakura couldn't help but smile. Already she was starting to feel much calmer in his presence. She wondered if he had that effect on everyone. His aloof forwardness was the only thing keeping her grounded at times. There was no telling how emotionally out of control she, Naruto, and Sasuke would've been without Kakashi.

"So shall we get started?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura blinked, as if she was confused by his question, but found her legs leading her towards the loveseat anyway. She sat down beside him, her knees directed towards him, and she took a deep breath.

Up close, Kakashi was like marble, and Sakura wondered why she never noticed it before. His skin was practically flawless, aside from the scar trailing down his left eye. He also smelled surprisingly good. Clean, like laundry detergent, but with a hint of a masculine, worn undertone. Sakura's breath caught in her throat unknowingly.

"I'm going to be frank with you, Sakura," Kakashi started. "Almost everything I've learned about sex is from these books."

He gestured towards the mountainous pile on the table. Sakura rolled her eyes. Anything those books taught him wasn't really worth learning in the first place.

"Maybe I should've asked someone different," she teased. "I want sex to be intimate, not filthy and covered in Master Jiraiya's innuendos."

Kakashi ignored her jab and instead picked up a book and leafed through the pages carefully. His eyes flickered up towards Sakura's for a moment and she shivered.

"I typically won't read any of this out loud, but you _are_ my favorite former student," he teased.

Sakura wasn't sure if that made her want to blush or vomit.

"Listen carefully," Kakashi instructed coolly. " _Icha Icha Paradise_ is the first installment in the series and therefore has the most, umm, _intimate_ beginnings. I think it would suit your tastes quite nicely."

Sakura sighed. Now _that_ she was something she objectively doubted. Still, waiting in anticipation to hear Kakashi's voice lilt provocative phrases had a merit all it's own. The only other people who ever came close to hearing him read from it were Naruto and Shikamaru, and that was only a simple phrase used to decode the message Jiraiya left.

So Sakura sat patiently on the couch, drumming her fingers against her knee and watching as Kakashi's eye scanned the page.

"'The art of seduction was quite simple…'" Kakashi started.

Sakura couldn't help but scoff. "Are you sure Master Jiraiya wrote this?"

Kakashi merely offered a courteous chuckle and continued, "'Women were curious outside of the bedroom, but in the throws of passion they often fervently divulge their desires."

She snorted, slapping one hand to her knee in apparent hilarity. "The only desire I have is for—"

"Sakura?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?"

"You asked for my advice, right?" Kakashi asked, quirking an eyebrow as he lowered the book to meet Sakura's gaze.

The sneer on her lips quickly faded. "Yes, sorry."

Kakashi smiled. "Just try to picture yourself experiencing this, alright? I promise it's about to get much more interesting."

Sakura nodded and closed her eyes.

"'It was on that first night that I tried my hardest to get her to tell me her desires, _purr_ them to me'."

Even though Kakashi's gaze was focused on the book, Sakura found herself flushing as if he were looking at her completely naked. She chewed her lower lip, trying to concentrate on how ridiculous she thought the book series was.

"'Her breath caught in her throat as my fingers dusted over the top of her bare thigh'," Kakashi continued.

It was just a stupid book. A stupid book written by a perverted sage. She was doing a pretty good job repeating this mantra until Kakashi's hand rested gently on her thigh, his fingers splaying across the flesh there.

"'Slowly, I began to close the gap between us, her eyes closed in anticipation all the while'."

Kakashi couldn't help but smirk as Sakura's eyes fluttered shut as his touch. If his reading had that strong of an effect, he should've simply read the instructions to every jutsu he tried teaching Naruto.

"'The most crucial part, I remembered, was the neck—"

Sakura was suddenly acutely aware of the thick fabric of Kakashi's mask brushing against her ear. She shivered, feeling the warmth that had been gathering in her stomach start to spread.

"—'and how much she loved it when I kissed there. Softly, with just enough teeth to send goose bumps down her spine'."

"Kakashi-sen…sensei," Sakura breathed, arching her neck as she dizzyingly inhaled.

Kakashi paused for a moment, taken back by how easily his name slipped off of her lips. But the passage was almost over, and he was positive by the way that Sakura reacted that she was taking like a duck to water.

"'I lazily drew back, keeping my lips tuned to the curve of her jawline, and at the mention of my name I knew that a single kiss would be more than enough to seal the deal'."

Sakura was leaning forward, her lips parted ever so slightly. Kakashi's breath was hot on her cheeks and he couldn't have been more than a few centimeters away from her face. She felt like her skin was on fire, something animalistic and burning and _new_ bubbling away just underneath the surface. If he kept this up, then surely she'd—

The book closed with a loud _snap,_ forcing Sakura's eyes open and leaving her dazed and confused. She blinked a few times and instinctively pulled at the bottom of her dress. Kakashi set the book back on the table and then smiled softly at her.

"I'm afraid that's all I can teach you, Sakura," he said.

"O-oh," she said shakily.

"You asked me to teach you what I know about sex," he explained as Sakura helplessly floundered between looking downright confused and unbelievably frustrated. "The art of seduction is the most important part. Everything else just comes with practice."

"Oh," she said again, wondering why she couldn't force anything else out.

"I can leave this with you, if you'd like to read what happens next," Kakashi offered.

Sakura wanted to say no. She wanted to call him a nasty pervert and send him out the door with his entire collection of porn in tow. But she _did_ want to know what happened next. She wanted Kakashi to read it to her. And that was the biggest problem of all.

She shook her head, trying to swim back up from how deeply she felt she was drowning. "Well, I guess Icha Icha is like a cookie. You can't have just one, right?"

Her laughter was uneven and riddled with unfulfilled passion. Kakashi knew it well, as he had witnessed her laugh similarly during intense sparring sessions with Sasuke. It was a laugh filled with adrenaline… _lust_ …

"Would you look at the time?" Kakashi said suddenly. "I'm sure that I'm more than tardy for one meeting or another."

"Kakashi-sensei, I—" Sakura started, but Kakashi was already headed towards her front door.

Turning over his shoulder, he gave her a quick wink and a wave before adding, "Please try not to ruin the book while you're borrowing it. I'd like it back without any rips, wrinkles, or… _spills._ "

If Sakura could've found a voice somewhere, she would've shouted at him to get out. Instead, she merely sat on the loveseat, stared at the cover of Icha Icha Paradise, and decided that she was going to need a second opinion on it.


	3. Ninja Concentration

**Quick Info~**

Still overwhelmed by the amount of support I've received on this! :) You guys rock! If you didn't think that Kakashi was a big enough tease last chapter, get ready for this one because _damn man._ I almost feel bad for Sakura. Almost. ;) Anyway, please continue to let me know what you like or dislike about the chapters! I'm always open to comments! And a continued thanks for all of the reviews/favorites/follows/reads!

* * *

"Wow," Ino breathed.

"So it isn't just me then?" Sakura asked.

"I feel like I need to go stand in a cold shower for awhile." Ino closed the book and placed the palms of her hands on her cheeks. "And you're telling me that someone actually read this _out loud_ to you?"

Sakura flushed and quickly placed the book back in her bag. She had been trying her hardest not to think about the way Kakashi sounded when she and Ino finished the chapter together. Yet all she could hear was his voice seeping into every word on the page, lulling her and coaxing her like some sort of sexual lullaby.

"Not the whole thing," Sakura said quickly. "Just up to the part where they kissed."

"With how bad of a reputation these things have, I'm surprised someone so eagerly decided to show you," Ino said. "Wait… Doesn't Kakashi-sensei read these all the time?"

"D-does he?" Sakura asked, feigning (and drastically failing) innocent. "I never noticed."

The smile on Ino's face was growing wider by the second. "You want to bang Kakashi Hatake!"

"No!" Sakura yelled defensively. "Maybe… I don't know! It's just this stupid sin book. It's full of these gross feelings."

"You mean arousal," Ino corrected.

"Exactly!"

"Arousal for _Kakashi Hatake_ ," she crooned, batting her eyelashes and clasping her hands dramatically near her cheek.

"Shut up, Ino-pig!" Sakura jeered.

Ino rolled her eyes and went back to her task of stuffing vases full of various flowers. Ever since things calmed down in regards to their mutual feelings for Sasuke, Ino and Sakura were just as inseparable as they were when they were children. Of course, as far as Ino and Sakura were concerned, the term 'inseparable' didn't go without a little bit of bickering every now and then.

"Look," she said, grabbing a sunflower and setting it carefully in the middle of a vase filled with baby's breath and snapdragons. "I don't blame you at all. He's quite handsome."

"If you can get past the constant tardiness and never seeing a majority of his face, then _maybe_." Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and let out an exasperated puff.

"I don't think you need to worry about anything. That book would've gotten anyone hot and bothered. In fact, I'm thinking about picking up my own copy for when Sai goes away on long missions," Ino said. "Here, hold these."

She thrust the freshly made bouquet into Sakura's unopened arms, causing her to fumble and quickly stoop down to catch them. Sakura cursed under her breath. She should've been quicker than that.

"You're such a klutz, Forehead," Ino scolded, pointing to one loose sunflower limply lying on the tiled floor.

"Sorry," Sakura said. "It's just this book and Kakashi-sensei… No wonder he's always so absentminded. That book is poison!"

"What book?"

If Sakura had to count on her fingers the number of times she found herself in dreadfully awkward situations, she would need to borrow the hands of everyone in the Leaf Village and maybe half of the Sand Village.

"Hi, Kakashi-sensei!" Ino chirped cheerfully, all the while eyeing Sakura with a smirk that only the pair knew the meaning of.

"Hello, Ino." Kakashi smiled.

Sakura wanted to die.

"I was just telling Sakura that she's being awfully clumsy today. I just made that bouquet and she went and dropped it," Ino said.

Well, if Sakura wanted to die, she needed to make sure she dragged Ino straight to hell with her first.

Kakashi's gaze slumped to the floor and landed on the sunflower. He stooped and then picked it up, twirling it in between his fingers. Then, in one quick motion, he took the sunflower and carefully tucked it behind Sakura's ear. She was sure she let out a little squeak of surprise, because Ino was instantly suppressing giggles behind the counter.

"It suits you," he said thoughtfully.

Sakura was sure that all of the blood in her body rushed to her cheeks in an instant.

"Shino said that he saw you come in here," Kakashi continued. "I'm assembling a team of elite ninja to come on an overnight scouting mission with me."

"Overnight scouting? Isn't that a little bit more of a Genin type mission?" Sakura asked, swallowing the blush down as she quickly cleared her head.

She may have been entirely too invested in her emotions, but as soon as there was talk about a mission, she knew better than to let any feelings get in the way of the task at hand. Surviving a war made her grow up in ways she didn't know were possible.

Kakashi chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that was almost foreign to Sakura's ears. "Naruto said the same thing. In any case, I've recruited you, Sakura. We'll meet by Ichiraku tonight at seven o'clock. Please try not to be late."

"That's pretty rich coming from you," Sakura mumbled.

Instead of responding, Kakashi merely ruffled her hair before disappearing out of the shop. Ino was staring at Sakura, practically open-mouthed, as she leaned against the counter.

"Want to change your name from cherry blossom to sunflower now?" Ino asked.

Sakura scowled and stuck out her tongue. "At least I get to go on the elite mission and you don't, so who's the real winner here?"

"Hopefully you _and_ Kakashi, if you're lucky," Ino teased.

No matter how old they got, Sakura knew that Ino would be the only person in her life who could rile up such childish feelings so quickly. And although she'd never admit it, Sakura was unbelievably grateful to have someone like Ino in her life.

* * *

"He's late," Naruto groaned. "Again."

"You have no reason to complain. The longer he takes, the more ramen you get to order," Sakura said, her cheek slumping in her open palm as she swiveled from side to side on one of the barstools at Ichiraku.

"So we're the most elite ninja Kakashi-sensei could find?" Shikamaru asked. "What a drag."

Shikamaru was leaning against the wall with his foot propped up on the plaster, the same bored expression permanently etched on his face. Sakura often wondered if his features just froze like that one day and he never bothered to do anything about it.

"Kakashi-sensei said that it was just a scouting mission," Naruto said, his words hardly understandable as he attempted to down the entire bowl of ramen in one gulp.

"Still, it must have been pretty important if he asked us to join," Sakura offered, knowing that talking up Kakashi Hatake to people like Naruto and Shikamaru was as useless as trying to convince Kiba that cats were far superior to dogs.

"He probably just got lazy and asked the first three people that came to his mind," Shikamaru said.

After a puff of smoke and one half-assed excuse, Kakashi was standing in front of them. He was holding a map, although the scribbles covering it made it look like it had gotten into the hands of a two-year-old.

"As soon as we make it to the outskirts of the village, we can talk," Kakashi said.

The ragtag team made it into the forest just as the stars started to pop into the sky and the navy blue air hummed with crickets and frogs. In a way, Sakura felt like Kakashi wanted to relive some sort of version of Team Seven. Of course, Shikamaru was nothing like Sasuke, minus the usual attitude. But as she stood there with Kakashi and Naruto, for a moment it almost felt like nothing had ever changed.

"I'm going to be honest with you because we're all adults here," Kakashi said. "You're only here because I didn't want to recruit any gung-ho Genins for this mission. Naruto, you're the exception of course."

He gave Naruto a sly wink, which was promptly returned with a scowl and a 'whatever, old man.'

"So what's the plan then?" Shikamaru asked impatiently.

"It's simple," Kakashi explained. "Naruto, take Shikamaru and scout near the river. Sakura and I will take the trees. We'll meet back by the patch of level ground about halfway down the river at ten o'clock."

Sakura felt her stomach drop. She wasn't exactly thrilled about the possibility of being paired with someone as boring as Shikamaru. And while Naruto would've been a little bit more exciting in terms of conversation, his constant chatter would drive anyone insane. But being paired with Kakashi after their little book club meeting was akin to the type of embarrassment one would feel standing naked in the middle of a crowd.

Kakashi must not have noticed the glimmer of worry in her eyes, because he took off into the trees without saying another word. Shikamaru exhaled heavily before continuing down the path towards the river with Naruto loudly in tow.

"Are you coming?" Kakashi asked, causing Sakura to jump and tear her eyes away from the other half of her team.

"Oh, umm, yeah! Sorry," Sakura said, shaking her head quickly and launching herself up into the trees with ease.

As soon as they reached an efficient pace, Kakashi went right back to doing what he did best. An Icha Icha book in one hand with the same lax expression one would have reading a textbook. Sakura supposed, in some ways, that Icha Icha did end up teaching her something (albeit quite the unwanted "something"). For example, just how sensual Kakashi could make his voice sound. And just how easily it was for Sakura to get swept up in something like that. And how, if Kakashi had only continued reading, Sakura would've easily—

"Watch out!" Kakashi's voice broke through Sakura's dazed thoughts.

Before she had time to see what was happening, her foot scraped down the side of a rotting branch, wood crunching sharply beneath her weight. It would have been useless to try and steady herself with her other foot, as the branch was collapsing faster than she could propel herself back up. So she held her arms up in a strange half-flailing, half-attempting to fly manner and readied her feet to hit the ground in the least painful way.

Instead, one strong arm wrapped around her waist, and kept her dangling in mid-air for a moment. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes quickly shifted focus from the ground to the ninja who inevitably saved her clumsy ass.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked as Sakura steadied herself on a sturdier branch next to him.

"Yeah," she mumbled, embarrassed that even after all of the years that passed, he was still getting her out of trouble.

"You've got a keen eye, Sakura. I'm surprised you didn't notice that rotting branch a mile back," Kakashi said.

"I guess I'm just a little bit tired," she lied.

She was clutching one arm tightly with her other hand, hugging herself in a way that made her look much smaller than she actually was. Kakashi noticed she often reverted to this whenever she felt weak, and his gaze softened as soon as their eyes met.

"Well, no harm done—" Kakashi started.

Sakura nodded and turned to keep moving forward with their mission.

"—But if you're feeling tired, I could read to you again."

She froze, her feet teetering precariously on the branch in front of him. He wasn't honestly suggesting that he'd verbalize language as lewd and crude as that in public?

"What?" she asked, turning back to him with an expression she tried to keep as calm as possible.

Kakashi shrugged. "It'll give you something to concentrate on."

"I don't think that's the type of concentration a ninja should have on a mission," Sakura said.

She could already feel her voice sounding rather breathless and the amused, raised eyebrow Kakashi was giving her was definitely not helping.

"Oh?" He quirked his head to the side. "Then tell me, Sakura. What type of concentration _should_ a ninja have on a mission?"

The way his voice had quickly changed made Sakura feel like the branch she was standing on dropped out beneath her. She shifted awkwardly, her gaze darting to the leafy canopy above them, the ground…anywhere that didn't require directly looking at his knowingly smug expression.

"The type that keeps focus on the task at hand," she said simply.

Kakashi chuckled. "You always were the biggest stickler for the rules."

Sakura frowned. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

But what else could she have done? She didn't possess a protégée level of talent accompanied with a tragic backstory like Sasuke. And she definitely wasn't a hyperactive, knuckle-headed Jinchuriki with just enough heart to save the entire shinobi world like Naruto. Sakura was simply an intelligent medical ninja who had to work twice as hard as everyone else to receive half of the amount of recognition. And she supposed that when it came to Kakashi, she was still trying to prove herself.

"Not always," Kakashi said thoughtfully. "But the offer is still there, if you decide you want to take it."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Sakura said, clenching her fists at her sides and pressing on.

The rest of their time spent scouting was rather uneventful. Kakashi kept to himself, lazily turning the page of his book every once in awhile. Sakura decided to spend the rest of the mission irritated. Slightly with him, more so with herself. Every time she heard the crinkling of the page turning, she found something deep inside of her just wishing that she could've known what was on the page. Wishing that he was the one telling her.

In Kakashi's typical fashion, Sakura was caught up in arriving late to the meeting spot, too. Shikamaru and Naruto had already successfully set up camp and were sitting around a fire pit. Naruto was animatedly enthusing a story about how he _finally_ taught Hinata some awesome new jutsu. Shikamaru looked more than bored as he laid on his back with his hands behind his head and stared drearily up at the stars.

Upon seeing the pair arrive at the campsite, Naruto flung up from his makeshift seat and shot an accusatory finger in the other half of his team's direction.

"You pulled Sakura down to your tardiness level, too!" he exclaimed.

Kakashi simply smiled. "It's even easier to get lost on the path of life when you're with someone else."

Sakura knew he was being just as cryptically annoying as usual, but something about his statement made her insides squirm. If she'd just taken him up on his offer to finish Icha Icha with one another, then perhaps they could've actually gotten lost together.

"Pipe down, Naruto!" Sakura yelled, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and lifting him clear off of the ground like he weighed no more than five pounds.

Naruto held up his hands in defense and tried to wriggle away from her grasp. "Jeeze, Sakura. It was a joke! Just let me go!"

"Seriously, you two," Shikamaru said, standing and stretching wildly. "Usually scouting missions are supposed to be as quiet as possible to remain undetected."

Sakura and Naruto froze. With a pout and a toss of her hair, she released her grip on Naruto and he collapsed on the forest floor with a loud 'oomph.'

"If you keep manhandling people like that you'll never get someone to date you," Naruto murmured, wincing as he tenderly rubbed his backside.

Before Sakura had time to knock him into next week for his comment, Kakashi quickly stepped in front of her and helped Naruto to his feet.

"If we turn in early, we can get back to the village before noon tomorrow," Kakashi said.

It must've sounded like music to Shikamaru's ears because he ducked into the tent without a word and didn't emerge again. Naruto was much more reluctant, claiming that he was old enough to stay awake even longer than Kakashi. However, it didn't take long for his head to bob and his determined expression to slack, forcing Kakashi and Sakura to drag him half-conscious into the tent.

"Are you planning on going to sleep, too?" Kakashi asked, his face only dimly lit by the fire that was slowly dying.

"I don't think I can," Sakura said. "Naruto thrashes around like he's being attacked by a wild animal and Shikamaru, whether or not he admits it, snores."

Kakashi smiled sympathetically. "I've been on the receiving end of more than one of Naruto's animal attacks."

"Would it be alright if I kept watch with you for awhile?" Sakura asked, and despite the casualness of her question, she'd never felt more nervous.

"Of course," Kakashi said, and despite the cheerful smile in his eyes, something about his voice was borderline sultry. "As long as you don't mind making sure that I stay awake."


	4. Practicality

**Quick Info~**

I've been dying to post this chapter and the time has finally arrived! Sorry about the cliffhanger before! Hopefully all will be satisfied in regards to that this chapter. ;) If I haven't said it enough already, I am seriously so appreciative of all of your kind words! Every time I get a notification my heart jumps a little (which is nice, since college and work combined can be a bit of a drag sometimes). I don't want to spoil anything, but let's just say that Kakashi's got a little something up his sleeve for this chapter... (Also, quick disclaimer, I am not an "anti" shipper by any means, so the Sasuke reference later on reflects no ill-feelings towards the SasuSaku ship or Sasuke himself) Enjoy and please feel free to let me know what you think!

* * *

"So your birthday is only a few weeks away," Kakashi said, stealing a quick glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Looks like it," Sakura responded, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her cheek against them.

"Have you given any thought as to what you might like for a present?"

Sakura thought back to her conversation with Ino a week prior. At the time, it didn't seem like such a big deal to be the only virgin left from her class. In fact, part of her was proud that she held fast to the belief that she needed to find the right person first. But as the date of her birthday drew nearer (and as the feeling of genuine arousal hung low in her belly for the first time), she started to wonder if she really did want to give that part of her away.

But instead of telling Kakashi outright that she wanted someone to fuck her so well that she couldn't walk the next day for her birthday, she simply sighed and decided to give him a safer answer.

"Just practical stuff, I guess." She shrugged.

"That's a bit boring," Kakashi said. "Surely you aren't too old to lose real desires?"

Sakura's stomach clenched at the word 'desire.'

"Well, I wouldn't say that practical is boring," she said, skirting around the subject as she attempted to swallow the heat rapidly spreading across her face.

"Then how would you define 'practical'?"

The slightest hint of playful teasing was laced in his usual nonchalant tone. And even though he was staring out into the darkness calmly, Sakura could tell that he was on edge by the way his fingers were drumming unevenly against the dirt.

"I don't know," she said. "Something you can use often."

"That doesn't narrow it down," Kakashi said, frowning. "There are plenty of things in the world that you could use _often_."

"At a loss for what to give me, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, playfully nudging his shoulder.

If he was going to insist on teasing her like that, she was more than capable of retaliating tenfold. He turned to her and held her gaze evenly, seemingly unmoved by her banter.

"Oh, I have more than a few good ideas," he said smoothly. "It's just a matter of whether or not you'd want them."

Sakura blinked, a rosy hue lighting up her cheeks despite the dark night. "I'm quite sure I want them," she murmured.

Kakashi smiled and reverted his gaze back to staring into the black nothingness in the forest. Sakura wanted to hit him over the head with that damned book resting in the dirt beside them. She wanted to say that she could hardly believe he had the gall to leave her hanging like that, but she knew that would be a lie. Kakashi Hatake was the master of leaving people hanging.

Sakura twiddled her thumbs in front of her, occasionally stealing a glance at Kakashi when she was sure he wasn't looking. His eyes, although just as half-open as usual, hardly seemed tired despite the fact that Sakura hadn't seen him blink in minutes. Perhaps intense focus was one of his odd methods of staying awake?

"Kakashi-sensei, can I ask you another weird question?" Sakura asked, her voice much smaller and more timid than she would've liked.

"A majority of your recent questions have fallen into that category," Kakashi observed. "But of course you can."

"Have you ever really wanted to kiss someone? Like, not a specific someone, but just because you really wanted the feeling of it."

Kakashi's eye slowly shifted to meet hers. "I suppose," he said lightly.

"Really? Back when you were a teenager, then?" she asked.

"No. If you wanted to put a timestamp on it, I'd say it's much more recent."

Sakura gulped. She wasn't sure which one of them decided to move closer, but Kakashi was unquestionably nearer to her than he was before. Her fingers inched across the dirt, stopping just shy of brushing against his own, and her eyes were peering up at him as round as they were wide.

She just had to do it. She just had to muster up all of that courage she knew was buried inside of her. All of that courage that Ino, Naruto, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, and even Hinata apparently had.

"I know what I want for my birthday," Sakura murmured.

"And what would that be?"

"I want you to kiss me," she said.

Kakashi wasn't exactly stunned by her request; although, he didn't make any sudden movements to comply, either. He merely stared at her for a moment, as if he were drinking in every ounce of the way she looked in the firelight. Red cheeks, plump, pink lips, and green eyes that sparkled with the intensity of Chidori twice over.

"Close your eyes," Kakashi instructed.

Sakura wanted to question him, but as soon as she saw one of his fingers hook into the corner of his mask she knew why. A kiss was one thing, but getting a glimpse at his face underneath the mask was an entirely different level of trust that Sakura knew she hadn't quite earned yet.

So her eyes fluttered shut and she waited, willing herself not to shiver in the cold breeze. His hands were the first things she felt. They slid carefully up the expanse of her neck and cupped the back of her head gently. Next, she felt the warmth and newness of his nose brushing against her cheek. She inhaled and held her breath as his lips pressed against hers tentatively.

He was warm, much warmer than she was, and she shivered underneath his touch. Her hands were initially frozen in her lap until some part of her subconscious knew to move them to his chest. His heart was beating evenly, completely mismatching the rapid pumping in her ribcage.

Kakashi didn't make a sound as he slowly began to open his lips, allowing himself to kiss her more fully. _That_ was the type of kissing she was talking about. The kind that made your knees feel weak and your insides dissolve into jelly. The kind that Jiraiya so skillfully wrote about and the kind that Sakura wouldn't mind receiving from Kakashi all over her body.

When Kakashi pulled away, Sakura felt like she had been shocked. Her fingers felt tingly and her thighs clenched together. She kept her eyes closed—not because she remembered not to look, but rather because she wanted to bask in the feeling for a few moments longer—until the sound of fabric sliding back over Kakashi's face ended the moment.

"Happy early birthday, Sakura," Kakashi whispered against her lips, trailing one finger along the precise smoothness of her jawline before dropping his hands to his lap.

Sakura didn't know what to say. She had half a mind to thank him, but decided against it considering how strange it would sound. So instead of saying anything, she merely nodded and then dropped her head onto his shoulder. She let out a yawn and realized that sleepiness was the only thing left once the adrenaline from the kiss faded.

"If only Sasuke knew how easy it was to tire you out back then," Kakashi teased lightly.

"Sasuke who?" Sakura asked slyly.

Kakashi couldn't help but smile. Just like that, Sakura had grown up in the blink of an eye and he was lucky enough to be part of it. So he didn't move her when she adjusted herself into a more comfortable position on his lap. Instead, he merely leaned back on his palms and waited for the earliest rays of the morning sun.

* * *

"Pervert!"

Naruto shouted the word loud enough to rumble the very earth. A few birds made a mad dash from the trees they were peacefully perched in, rustling the trees with an erratic, flapping sound.

Sakura blinked and then groaned, now thoroughly (although quite unwantedly) awake. Kakashi was simply staring at Naruto with a calm, 'I'm going to try not to murder you right now' face. Naruto, on the other hand, was crouched with his legs spread as wide as they could go with one finger pointed accusatorily at Kakashi.

"Do you always have to be this annoying in the morning?" Sakura asked, combing her fingers through her hair as she sat up from Kakashi's lap like it was the most normal thing she had ever done.

Her insides, however, knew that this was most certainly not normal and the event from the previous night was making her stomach clench up. Still, she cast an irritated glance at Naruto and tried to keep the blush attempting to give her away at bay.

"But Sakura!" Naruto whined. "You can't just let Kakashi-sensei get away with stuff like that!"

"With what? She was just sleeping," Shikamaru pointed out, already taking out the nails keeping the tent in the ground.

"Exactly," Sakura said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm also a grown woman who can sleep on _or with_ anyone I so choose."

If Naruto could've spontaneously combusted, Sakura was sure that he would've in that moment. His jaw practically hit the floor and he was flailing in place like an overdramatic chicken with its head cut off.

"You can't talk about sleeping with Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kakashi let out a tiny puff of air, but Sakura couldn't tell whether he was just exhaling or stifling some sort of amused scoff. She stood up and strode as calmly as she could towards Naruto. Then, in one quick motion, she knocked him to the ground with a swift punch to the gut.

"Listen up, knucklehead," Sakura said, brushing her hands off on her dress before placing them haughtily on her hips. "I never said I was sleeping with Kakashi-sensei. We were both keeping watch and I happened to fall asleep _on_ him. Forgive me if I didn't want to spend all night getting kicked in the side by the nine-tails Jinchuriki while being simultaneously serenaded by earthquake-inducing snoring."

"Temari says my snoring isn't all that bad," Shikamaru muttered.

"Alright, I'm sorry," Naruto said, defeated.

"As _intriguing_ as this conversation is," Kakashi started as he stood, "I believe it'd be best to return to the village as quickly as possible."

Shikamaru cast Kakashi a grateful half-smile, which was returned by a thumbs up and an eye-crinkle. Sakura and Naruto both sighed, partially happy that they needn't discuss Sakura or Kakashi's sex lives any further and partially disappointed that the argument stopped as soon as it started. That was the odd thing about their relationship, they relished fighting with one another just as much as they resented it.

As soon as the four took to the trees, it looked as if it would be smooth sailing the rest of the way back to Konoha. Kakashi was reading again, occasionally catching Sakura trying not to blatantly stare over his shoulder. Naruto was going off on a tangent concerning something Tsunade scolded him about a few weeks prior. Shikamaru was simply staring ahead, perhaps contemplating duct-taping Naruto's mouth shut.

"Sorry if the mission was a bit boring," Kakashi said as soon as they were standing in front of the main entrance to Konoha. "But I suppose it's better than running into trouble, right?"

"I still had fun," Naruto said, shrugging. "Right, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru merely grunted in response, jamming his hands into his pockets and staring directly at the clouds above them.

"Did you have fun, Sakura?" Kakashi asked innocently, despite the mischievous smirk quirking his lips underneath his mask.

She nearly squeaked. She'd have fun all right, fun shoving her foot up his ass as she punted the cheeky bastard all the way to the Cloud Village.

"It was fine," Sakura said, flashing Kakashi an incredibly fake, incredibly bright smile.

"Good, we're all in agreement then," he said. "I'll just finish up this paperwork and turn it into Lady Tsunade. Seeya later, guys."

And with a single wave of his hand, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto was already high-tailing it to Ichiraku and Shikamaru had slumped off somewhere (probably to hang out with Choji or Temari, or both).

So Sakura was left alone. She decided on going home and taking a shower cold enough to make the Land of Iron look like a hot spring. Every time she thought about kissing Kakashi, it was like she was lighting a match inside of her stomach while simultaneously sucking all of the bones out of her legs.

"Sakura!"

Her name was spoken in a hiss, followed by someone violently yanking her arm underneath the entrance flaps of a nearby restaurant. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the dim lighting, until Ino and Tenten's faces were smiling eagerly in focus.

"I can't believe you're still able to walk," Ino said.

Sakura sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon.


	5. Proposition

**Quick Info~**

I'm positing this after watching the latest episode of Shippuden. My heart, guys... I won't spoil it for any of you who haven't seen it yet, but there were real tears on my part. ;-; Anyway, I'm so excited to start progressing Kakashi and Sakura's interesting relationship. It's taking awhile, a "slower burn" if you will, but I think things will start to pick up after this next chapter! Your love/support is phenomenal as always! I don't know if I've said this or not yet, but hmu if you ever want to chat about the fic or the show or life in general. I can always use more friends to nerd out with. ;) Enjoy!

Warning: Since this story is Rated M, there will be adult content present. Up until now, it's been pretty miniscule. However, this chapter does have dirtier language as well as sexual content. You've been forewarned!

* * *

"You told _Tenten_?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"Not at first," Ino shot back. "But she was asking about you and I was kind of drunk and then it just sort of…slipped out."

"Oh, yeah, I understand," Sakura said sarcastically. "Just like what would happen if my hand sort of slipped into a fist and punched you through that wall over there."

"You know, you really should stop threatening people. Kakashi isn't going to want to fuck someone so violent," Ino said.

Sakura opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off by Tenten.

"I swear I won't tell a soul," Tenten said, crisscrossing an invisible 'X' over her heart. "Besides, the only person I trust enough to tell is Lee, but I'd never purposely break his heart like that."

"There's nothing to tell, though," Sakura said simply, blatantly ignoring Tenten's omission of Lee's not-so-secretive crush on her.

"Come on, Forehead!" Ino said, dragging Sakura to a nearby booth with Tenten trailing behind them. "I saw the way Kakashi-sensei asked you to join him on the mission. It was like I wasn't even in the room!"

Sakura shrugged. "Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble but nothing is going on between us." She stood to leave. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go home and take a shower."

"If you tell me what happened, I'll buy your lunch," Ino said quickly.

At that moment, Sakura's stomach took the inopportune time to growl. Come to think of it, she hadn't eaten anything since the previous night. All of the commotion that Naruto caused that morning must've made the thought of eating breakfast slip all of their minds. She thought about the food she had in her fridge, or rather, a lack thereof. And depending on how long it took for Tsunade to send their checks for the mission, Sakura was basically broke.

She sighed. If she wanted to, she could just keep lying, so she decided to sit back down and force a smile at her two nosy friends.

"Alright, now tell us everything," Ino said, leaning in as if Sakura was about to give them the details to something incredibly top-secret.

She supposed, in a way, that she was.

"He offered to read me some more Icha Icha," Sakura said.

Lying wasn't exactly her forte, but omitting parts of the truth wouldn't be too hard.

"Please tell me you said yes!" Ino exclaimed.

"Of course I didn't say yes," Sakura scoffed.

"Did Kakashi-sensei really act out some of the dirty scenes with you before?" Tenten asked.

"Not the really dirty ones. It was more, umm, sensual."

"The foreplay scenes," Ino corrected.

Sakura scowled. "Anyway, that's pretty much all that happened."

Ino jabbed a fork in her direction. "Sakura Haruno, I have known you since we were children and that smug look on your face suggests that much more than that happened. Now, I know I didn't just pay for an entire plate of coconut shrimp for a _liar._ "

Sakura wilted. Ino was right. But she couldn't rat Kakashi out for a free plate of food. She didn't even have a chance to discuss it with him, let alone tell her friends! What if he wasn't okay with it? Judging by their former student-teacher relationship, she was willing to bet her life's savings that he wasn't.

"Look, there was some flirting, but he probably didn't even know he was doing it," Sakura said.

"He's far too smooth to not know," Tenten said. "One time, I saw him and Asuma-sensei talking to this lady who owns a jewelry shop down the road. He got all smiley and he even let her _touch his mask._ "

Sakura sighed. "I already know that story, though. It was to help Asuma-sensei get a ring for a cheaper price. That doesn't count."

Ino smiled sadly at the memory, but quickly shook her head to get back on track. "Tenten means that he knows how to flirt. If you thought he was flirting with you, then he probably was!"

Sakura thought back to how eager Kakashi was to find out what she wanted for her birthday. He couldn't have known that she was going to ask him for a kiss then, could he?

"Whatever," Sakura said. "I'm sorry I didn't spread my legs and yell 'Kakashi-sensei, I want you oh so badly! Take me however you want!'"

"You'll get there eventually," Ino said encouragingly.

Sakura wasn't the least bit encouraged.

"Yeah," Tenten added. "All it takes is a little bit of practice."

Ino raised her eyebrow as soon as their food arrived. Sakura practically started inhaling the shrimp, wanting nothing more than to leave the restaurant and cleanse her mind and body of the past twenty-four hours.

"What would you know about practice?" Ino asked in between bites of lemon garlic chicken.

Tenten simply smiled, sipping her soup casually. "I'm a year older than both of you, remember? Neji, Lee, and I were a close team for a reason."

Sakura nearly choked on her drink and Ino simply stared at Tenten in awe. This conversation was going a million different places that Sakura definitely did not want to follow. She stood, gulping down the last of her water, and slapped some money on the table.

"This should cover my portion of the tip," she said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to take a shower."

She hurried out of the restaurant despite Ino and Tenten's protests and booked it down the dusty streets of Konoha until she was at her apartment. Her hand was shaking as she turned the key in the front door, ready for solitude and cold water and the sweet peace of nothing but her thoughts.

She turned the handle for the shower on cold and then looked in the mirror. Touching her lips gingerly, she wondered if they looked the same as they did before she left. Expertly kissed lips _had_ to look different, right? She concluded that her bottom lip was slightly poutier than it was before and began to strip off her clothes.

She couldn't deny the faint smell of Kakashi on her clothes. Even after a day of traveling, he still smelled impeccably good. Sakura's breath caught in her throat and she quickly threw her clothes to the ground. There was no way in hell she was willingly standing in her bathroom _enjoying_ the smell of Kakashi Hatake.

She slipped into the shower, waiting for the cool water to wash over her and squelch the heat in her stomach. But the only thing it managed to do was make her shiver. The warmth inside of her was still there, licking up her sides and down her legs like a ravaging flame. Her lips felt swollen, _worn._ Properly kissed for the very first time in her life.

And she found her hand beginning to wander, as if the flames inside of her were coaxing her fingers towards them like some sort of magnet. Sakura may have been a virgin for all intents and purposes, but that did not mean she knew nothing about the way her body worked.

She was happy, although not surprised, to find that her entrance was already wet and waiting for her. Her eyes slid shut and she steadied herself by placing one hand on the cool tile of the shower wall.

She tried to think about something other than Kakashi. She tried imagining the main character of Icha Icha passionately seducing his lover for the first time, but the image quickly went sour as thoughts of Jiraiya's perverted grin while writing it popped into her mind. She then tried thinking about Sasuke, her go-to fantasy when she was younger, but there was just something about complete and utter betrayal that turned her off.

The only thing that kept her breath hitching in her chest and her toes tingling was Kakashi. The way he looked at her before they kissed. The way his hands felt against her skin. The way his lips hungrily pressed against hers like he was wanting her just as badly as she was wanting him and—

"Kakashi!" The moan rolled off of her tongue much louder than she had anticipated, causing his name to echo ever-so-slightly in her tiny bathroom.

But she didn't have time to be embarrassed because she felt herself beginning to swell and contract around her fingers. Her stomach muscles clenched and she nearly toppled over, riding through the waves of her orgasm with a newfound pleasure that she wasn't sure she could even handle without passing out.

The hand she pressed firmly against the shower wall was shaking as she panted in order to catch her breath. Water droplets were sliding off of her nose and landing in between her feet, toes still curled from the build-up of pleasure.

She would've considered going for round two if a knock on the bathroom door didn't bury any arousal she was feeling six feet into the ground. Fear quickly seeped into her stomach as she moved the handle with a loud squeak to turn off the shower.

What if it was her landlord telling her to 'pipe those sexual noises down' in her usual, middle-aged judgmental tone? Or worse, what if it was her mother or father just dropping by for a visit, wondering why on earth their preciously pure daughter was moaning the name of her old sensei in the shower?

But nothing could've prepared Sakura for the way she would feel when the voice behind the knocking finally spoke up.

"Sakura, you left the door unlocked so I figured it would be all right if I came inside," Kakashi said.

"O-oh!" she squeaked. "Umm, I'll be out in just a second."

Normally, she would've reprimanded him for barging in unannounced and uninvited. But since his name was most definitely uninvited on her lips, she figured any spite she was planning on throwing at him wouldn't hold any weight.

She tripped as she got out of the shower, landing ungracefully (albeit on her feet) and quickly grabbing a towel off of the counter. She wrapped it around her chest and rung out her hair as best as she could with her hands. Then, attempting to summon all of the courage of the past and future Kage's combined, she opened the bathroom door.

"Hi, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura chirped, a little too cheerfully. "What's up?"

Kakashi couldn't help but notice the redness in her cheeks and the way her legs were shaking as she stood. She looked like someone who had been positively pleasured. And, judging from the way he was hearing his name, she had been doing just that.

He shifted his weight to one leg, praying to some sort of deity that the tightness in his pants was just from accidentally putting them in the dryer for too long.

"I thought we should talk," he said.

"Oh. Um, of course. Just let me go change," Sakura said, sliding past him and bolting to her room.

Kakashi took a seat on the couch in her living room and placed his head in his hands. How could something like this have happened so quickly? Sure, Sakura was undeniably beautiful. He heard fellow Jounin talk about her all the time. She was their favorite medic to visit because she gave extra special care with a smile that was unrivaled by any other medic-nin in the village. But Kakashi already knew that. He already knew that her smile could turn the darkest heart pure again. He already knew that when she looked at you with eyes as sparkly as emeralds, you felt like you could accomplish anything.

But this new feeling… And kissing her… All of it was so knew to Kakashi. And he would be lying if he said that he was feeling just as calm and collected about it as he was with everything else.

Sakura emerged from her bedroom after a few minutes of agonizing silence. Her hair was still wet, and she was sporting a ruffled pink tank top and tight, white shorts. Her bare feet padded against the wood floor as she walked over to him, and she sat down with cheeks as physically red as his insides were feeling.

"I just thought it might be good to talk about what happened last night," Kakashi said, slowly regaining his composure.

"No one knows," Sakura said quickly. "That's probably best, right?"

Kakashi smiled gently. "That's up to you. It was your birthday present. You can share it with whomever you choose."

"But won't you get in trouble?" she asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "It'd be looked down upon, but we're both consenting adults, Sakura. I didn't do anything you didn't want me to."

Damn was he right about that!

"So now what?" she started.

His eyes met hers and she could tell from the mischievous sparkle in them that he was far from finished with her.

"I heard about the bet you made with Ino," he said.

"You did?"

"And I'm willing to teach you more, if you'd like."

Kakashi was staring at her coolly, one eye trained on her face like he was waiting for the slightest change in her expression. Of course, Sakura had more than her fair share of changing expressions. Her eyebrows were the first to move, quirking slightly before nearly skyrocketing off of her forehead. Her eyes followed suit, opening wide enough to resemble two perfectly round dinner plates.

"You…you'd be willing to do that with _me_?" she asked incredulously.

Kakashi offered her a jovial smile. "You say that like it's unbelievable."

"Because it _is_ unbelievable." Sakura shook her head, trying to comprehend what Kakashi was saying while ridding her mind of all of the things he would be _doing_ if he meant what he said.

"Hardly. I know more than a handful of Jounin who would jump at the chance to make love to you," Kakashi mused.

Sakura's stomach flip-flopped. However, it wasn't because she apparently had her own harem of secret admirers among the shinobi community, but rather because of the way the words 'make love' slid off of Kakashi's tongue like it was the easiest phrase he'd ever uttered.

"I don't—" Sakura started, tearing her gaze away from his and fixating on her toes nervously digging into the rug underneath them.

"Think about it for as long as you'd like," Kakashi said, slowly standing and giving her a casual goodbye wave.

It wasn't until he was at the door and out of Sakura's fists' radius that he turned over his shoulder and teased, "But if you'd like that shower fantasy of yours to become a reality, I wouldn't wait forever."


	6. The Yamanaka Clan Speciality

**Quick Info~**

This was probably one of my favorite chapters to write, at least in terms of including other people from the village. :) If I could party anywhere, Konoha seems like an awesome place to do it! Anyway, I feel like a lot of KakaSaku stories end up with someone being drunk at some point, so I decided to stick to tradition and give you guys just that. I'm assuming the legal drinking age in Konoha is 18, so that's where we're going with this story. No underage drinking here! (Side note: I turned twenty one a few weeks ago, so I'm definitely sympathizing with Sakura in this chapter)

We're getting to the good parts soon, I swear. ;) Also, the names of the drinks used in this chapter were names I thought would be silly, so hopefully you'll be amused by them, too! Thank you a million times for all of the love! You definitely brighten up my gloomy fall days. And, as always, enjoy!

* * *

The Yamanaka clan was as infamous for party throwing as the Akimichi clan was for eating contests. And as a proud Yamanaka through-and-through, Ino could hardly pass up the opportunity to throw a pre-game birthday party for Sakura. Of course, in Konoha, pre-gaming was a lot more like completing the entire game as quickly as possible so that you could finish nursing your hangover by the time the actual party started.

And after the recent events with her former sensei, Sakura wasn't exactly opposed to drinking herself silly with all of her friends.

Thoughts of Kakashi's offer swirled around Sakura's head like she was helplessly getting tossed through waves and smashed against the rocky shoreline. She thought about it at work. She thought about it at home. Hell, she even thought about it when she was thinking about anything else! But she didn't dare breathe a word of their last conversation to a soul, which included (much to a certain nosy kunoichi's chagrin) Ino.

"What do you think you're going to wear to the party?" Sakura asked, huffing as she stared at her closet like it was some sort of barren wasteland.

Although, compared to the other girls in the village, it practically was. Sakura didn't think much about clothes. Her job in the hospital wasn't exactly the place to make a fashion statement—blood, vomit, and other bodily fluids don't really compliment designer clothes—and her ninja getup was purposefully plain. Aside from that, Sakura's wardrobe consisted of two dresses, a nightgown, and an assortment of old t-shirts.

"A purple dress," Hinata said simply, flipping through an Icha Icha book that Kakashi not so subtly left behind for Sakura a few days prior. She scrunched up her nose and stared at one of the pages before adding, "I think Naruto uses these lines sometimes."

Sakura laughed. As much as Naruto berated Jiraiya over his writing, everyone with half of a brain knew that as soon as he grew up he would love the Icha Icha series with as much of a passion as he had when he despised them.

"Quote one back, then. That'll get you a reaction for sure," Sakura said, rifling through two of her dresses before yanking her reluctant choice off of the hanger. "What do you think of this?"

"It's cute!" Hinata chirped.

Sakura frowned. Was she really going for _cute_? After all, the party was being thrown in her honor. And if she knew Ino, which she did quite well, then she knew that the invitation list was going to be extensive. Extensive enough to invite everyone that Sakura had ever come into contact with. Extensive enough to invite _Kakashi._

As Sakura slipped into the dress and stared at herself in the mirror, she wasn't sure whether to feel mortified or proud. She didn't realize that it had been quite a few years since the dress was purchased. Even though Sakura didn't feel like she changed much physically, the way the dress hugged her body was a definite indicator that she changed more than she thought. The pastel blue sweetheart neckline stretched against her breasts before tapering off in a baby-doll fashion, stopping generously at her upper thigh. So she had grown taller and… _womanlier_ , after all?

"Wow," Hinata said.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed, smoothing the front of the dress with her palms.

Hinata's reaction pretty much summed up the rest of the comments her friends made as soon as Sakura arrived at the party. And even though she felt beautiful, she still felt naked, and awkwardly tugged at the bottom of the dress in hopes that the fabric would stretch out just a tiny bit more.

"Well, what do you think?" Ino asked, bounding towards Sakura and enveloping her in tight hug from behind.

"It's beautiful. Thanks, Ino-pig," Sakura teased lightly.

But in all reality, it really was. The courtyard that the entirety of the Yamanaka clan shared was just a few paces away from Ino's house. And as one of the most promising young shinobi bearing the Yamanaka name, Ino pretty much had free reign of reserving the courtyard for parties whenever she chose. Sakura often had half of a mind to call Ino a spoiled brat, but she knew better than anyone just how hard Ino had worked to deserve the praise she got.

Paper lanterns were strung around the proximity of the courtyard, dangling off of street lamps and lighting up the ground with a flickering glow. There was a buffet table on the right-hand side of the courtyard, which was already heavily manned by Choji, Kiba, and Naruto. An open bar was beside it and Tsunade was admiring her third bottle of sake despite the fact that the party had started less than an hour ago. A dance floor was spread out sleekly on the far left and one of Konoha's finest bands was playing merrily on a makeshift stage behind it.

"A little bit overboard though," Sakura commented.

Ino shrugged. "Hey, this isn't just for your birthday, Forehead. Everyone in the village deserves to have fun after all of the crap we went through."

Sakura couldn't agree more, so when Sai walked up and handed her some sort of pink mixed drink with whipped cream and sprinkles on top—dubbed 'Sakura's Birthday Cake'—she took it without hesitation.

"I believe it's custom for the man to ask a beautiful woman to dance," Sai said suddenly, smiling at Ino with that closed-eye smile that Sakura still wasn't sure was genuine or not.

Ino's eyes widened and her cheeks tinted a shade or two pinker. He held his hand out and she daintily grabbed it, tucking some of her loose blonde hair behind her ear. Sakura smiled and sipped her drink, taking in the sights of her best friends enjoying themselves.

Naruto was goofily trying to feed Hinata chocolate covered strawberries, but from what Sakura could tell he was getting more of the chocolate on his jumper than in her mouth. Shikamaru and Temari were sitting on a bench, with Shikamaru scooting closer to her every few seconds. Choji also brought a date, who was cheering him on as he attempted to down an entire pitcher of beer in one breath.

Sakura quickly felt strangely out of place. Instead of a birthday party, she felt as though it were turning into one massive date night. So she finished her drink as quickly as possible and made her way back to the bar to order another.

"That isn't the face of a happy birthday girl."

The smooth tenor voice made Sakura's stomach drop and she nearly spilled her drink. She had been wondering when and if Kakashi was going to make an appearance. But she supposed she should've expected him to be fashionably late, as usual.

"How about now?" she asked through smiling, clenched teeth.

Kakashi chuckled. "I've been to quite a few Yamanaka parties. Looks like this one is going to end the same way most of them do."

"And how's that?"

Kakashi shifted his gaze to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "Let's just say there's going to be a lot of empty beds tonight."

Sakura scoffed. "You're telling me. It's like a scene straight out of Icha Icha."

"So you _did_ read the sequel?"

Sakura pushed Kakashi playfully. "It wasn't complete trash, but it definitely had its moments."

"Sakura," Kakashi said suddenly, his tone quickly shifting to a more serious nature.

"Hmm?" Sakura asked, running one finger around the rim of her glass absently as she watched her friends couple up on the dance floor.

"I believe it's custom for a man to ask a beautiful woman to dance," he said, taking her drink from her hand and setting it on the bar gently.

"You got that from Sai," Sakura said, but she took his outstretched hand regardless.

"I suppose they call me the copy ninja for a reason, then," he said coolly.

Kakashi led Sakura to the dance floor with an effortless grace that only he seemed to possess. She was quickly attuned to the stares they were receiving from various partygoers, but she didn't really care. The drink that Sai gave her coupled with the fact that Sakura was a bit of a lightweight must've taken effect because she felt dizzy as soon as Kakashi put one hand on her waist.

"They're staring," Sakura whispered.

Kakashi allowed his gaze to wander, catching Naruto's guffaw, Gai and Lee's matching gasps, and the knowing sparkle in Ino's eyes as he scanned the room.

"So it seems," he said.

Sakura gripped his shoulder tighter, hoping not to stumble under the embarrassing pressure her friends were putting on her. It couldn't have been _that_ weird to watch, right? She was sure she had seen Shino dance with Kurenai at the Christmas party the year prior. In fact, she was positive that she danced with Kakashi at that party, too.

But there was something different about this night. The band seemed to be playing slowly, _sensually_ even. And she supposed she stuck out like a sore thumb among the couples occupying the dance floor. She and Kakashi were not dating. Not even close. But the way he was gripping her and the way she felt her head want to rest against his chest definitely protested otherwise.

"I need another drink," Sakura said quickly, breaking away from Kakashi's grasp and heading towards the bar.

"Hey, it's the birthday girl!" Naruto slurred, swiveling around in his seat at the bar and slapping one hand against the counter.

Hinata was clutching to him, steadying herself as she giggled incessantly.

"Bartender, I'll take a round for the birthday girl and her best pals!" Naruto said.

The bartender complied and a tray of flaming shots was brought out from somewhere underneath the counter. Sakura gasped.

"Want to know something funny? These shots were named after the Uchiha Fireball Jutsu," Naruto said, slapping one hand to his knee and roaring with laughter.

Sakura felt her heart pang momentarily. Sasuke was still a sore spot, after all. But she took the shot regardless and tried to cheers everyone in the general vicinity holding up their own Fireball Jutsu.

"It's got quite a kick," the bartender explained. "You'll be feeling this for a while so try to take it easy."

Sakura downed the shot in one gulp, making a face as it the burning liquid practically scorched her throat on the way down. But the bartender was right, and after a few minutes of mingling, Sakura could feel the familiar fire bubbling away in her veins.

But it was a good feeling, and after Kiba made the announcement that 'you only turn twenty once,' a second and then a third shot eagerly made it's way into Sakura's mouth.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she chirped playfully, draping her arms around his neck and down his chest.

He was sitting at a table with Gai and Yamato, laughing about something that apparently happened in ANBU years ago.

"Ah, I thought I heard that Naruto got you to try one of those new Fireball Jutsus," Kakashi said. "Are you alright?"

"More than alright!" Sakura exclaimed. "Come dance with me."

Gai and Yamato exchanged glances of confusion, but Kakashi stood regardless. Sakura cast the pair a wide smile and then turned to lead Kakashi to the dance floor.

The music had changed drastically since they last set foot on it. Most of the Rookie 9 were already occupying it, alcohol not so subtly affecting their dancing abilities. Sakura weaved through the crowd until she and Kakashi were hidden in the middle of the dance floor.

"I want you to teach me," she whispered in his ear.

"Here isn't the best place," Kakashi said gently.

"I'll show you what I know already, then," she said.

Sakura grabbed Kakashi's waist confidently, moving her hips around him to the low, thrumming beat of the music. She heard his intake of breath as sharp and crisply as she would have if the air around them was completely silent. He steadied himself by placing his hands on her waist, angling his face down towards hers, his warm breath tickling her neck.

The darkness of the dance floor accompanied by the sheer amount of people on it made it easy for the pair to go unnoticed, something that comforted even Sakura's intoxicated mind. But Kakashi was much more cautious, preferring to keep himself hidden against her as he nibbled on her ear through the mask.

Despite how well Sakura felt she was doing, Kakashi could tell that she was quickly fading. Her movements were out of sync with the music and her knees were buckling underneath her own weight.

"Why don't we take this back to your place?" Sakura slurred, clutching onto his neck to hold herself up.

Kakashi merely chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, let's go."

He scooped her up and stepped out from the mass of grinding, sweaty bodies. He gave Ino a quick nod, hoping that she'd see Sakura and understand just what was going on, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

As soon as they were safely inside of Kakashi's apartment, Sakura wobbly stood on the carpet, a strange look on her face.

"I think I drank too much," she said.

Kakashi nodded. "Looks like it."

She glanced at Kakashi, laughed once, and then set her gaze on the nearby sink. "I definitely drank too much," she said, launching herself towards the counter and retching into the stainless steel basin.

Kakashi expertly scooped all of the hair away from her face and patted her back reassuringly.

"Looks like it was another Yamanaka party for the books, though," he murmured.

Sakura shakily turned on the faucet and splashed her face with the cool water. She was mortified. Kakashi took her back to his apartment and the first thing she did was throw up inside of it? Yes, Sakura was obviously the epitome of sexy.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Kakashi smiled. "Don't be. It happens to the best of us."

"I think I'll just head home now," Sakura said.

"Oh no you won't," Kakashi said. "You're going to sleep in my room. I'll sleep on the couch. And tomorrow when you have a blistering hangover, I'll be the first to lecture you on all of the reasons why drinking too much is a bad thing."

Sakura wanted to argue with him, but her eyelids felt far too heavy to make herself sound convincing. So instead she merely followed him to the bedroom and slumped onto the sheets, vaguely aware of just how _Kakashi_ his room felt.


	7. Strawberry Kisses

**Quick Info~**

What do you mean it's been over a week since I last updated? Ah you guys! I'm sorry for the slight delay in this chapter. I had been meaning to post it Saturday but I worked a longer shift than I expected...and then it was Halloween, which is one of my favorite holidays, so I was out for most of the day/night. But the chapter is finally here! A few specific things to say about this:

1\. I know Sakura has a hangover. Some people don't get them as bad as others. My boyfriend is a prime example of this as he's able to shake it off within an hour or so of waking up. So how can she get freaky with nails pounding into her skull? I'm just gonna say it's mitotic regeneration ;)

2\. This chapter has actual M-rated content in it! So if you've been reading up to this point, there will be physical contact in this chapter. Read at your own risk, friends.

3\. How is the smut though? Critiques on this in particular would be highly appreciated! It's one thing to do it, another thing to read it, and then an entirely different thing to write it. Was it too fast? Too slow? Too realistic? Too unrealistic? Let me know!

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this and all of your continued support! We're finally getting somewhere with this! (As I say this every chapter...let's just expect each chapter to progress, okay?) And, as always, enjoy!

* * *

The sun peaked through the slits in the curtains, casting a glaring, painful light in Sakura's eyes. It took her a moment to open them, shielding her face as she cracked open a single lid. She was staring up at the ceiling, but her familiar off-white fan with the relentless ticking wasn't spinning above her.

She bolted upright, clutching at sheets that were not nearly as fluffy as her own, and glanced around the room, her eyes darting feverishly from one side to the other despite her pounding headache.

The room was quite minimalistic, with only one poster lazily taped up on the back of the door. Sakura's stomach dropped as she raked her eyes over the image: " _Icha Icha: Paradise –_ Coming soon to a theatre near you!" It wasn't hard to figure out whom she had gone home with. She vaguely remembered leaving the party with Kakashi, but everything after was a stomach churning, dizzying blur.

One thing was for certain, though. Judging from the perfectly made left side of the bed, Kakashi had not attempted to sleep with her. So then where was he? Sakura gingerly draped her legs over the side of the bed until her feet hit the cool wood floor. She stood, ignoring the persistent hammering in her skull that begged her to lay back down.

A rush of light flooded her senses when she opened the bedroom door, accompanied by the sweet smell of strawberries and strong coffee. Kakashi was sitting at a tiny dining table, scanning the Konoha newspaper and sipping from a "Number 1 Sensei" mug that she and Naruto had picked up as a joke from a souvenir shop in the Sand Village.

"Ah, you're awake," he said casually, only managing to glance up at her for a second before returning to the newspaper's trashy gossip column.

"So I am," Sakura said awkwardly, wondering if she should stand in the doorframe or accompany him at the table.

After a few moments of indecisive shuffling, Sakura decided on joining him at the table. After all, the world still looked like it was spinning, and standing for too long made her feel queasy.

"Do you want some coffee?" Kakashi asked, gesturing towards the pot humming happily on a dinky stovetop.

"Not unless it's decaf," Sakura said.

Kakashi simply shook his head, flipping through another page of the newspaper before flicking his wrists forward to adjust the alignment of the paper. Sakura tapped her fingers anxiously on the table, waiting and hoping for him to say something. _Anything_.

But he either didn't notice or just didn't care enough to make the situation any less awkward, so Sakura sat and listened to the ticking clock hanging on the wall behind her. His apartment was just as minimalistic as his room was. He had a rather outdated kitchen, which she was sure he viewed as perfectly practical, and a singular couch with a television a few feet away. Despite his high rank as a Jounin and his time in ANBU, he certainly chose to live a much humbler lifestyle than his pocketbook allowed.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said after awhile.

"Hmm?"

"Did I do…or, umm, say anything last night to you that was…odd?" Sakura asked sheepishly, frowning as she glued her eyes to the floor.

"You're always _odd_ , Sakura. You're going to have to elaborate," Kakashi responded, finally setting the paper down and smiling at her with such utter amusement in his eyes that it made her cheeks burn.

"I danced with you. _On_ you," she said quietly.

Kakashi stared at her for a moment, contemplating how he should respond. He had an inkling that Sakura would remember at least bits and pieces of the night prior, but he was hoping that fate would have stolen a few of the more scandalous moments from her memory.

"Yes," he said decidedly.

"And I threw up in your sink," Sakura said, her eyes flickering up to meet his.

She was looking at him in such a startling way that he was genuinely surprised when his heart skipped a beat. She was peering up at him, with wide eyes that reminded him of the guilty way Pakkun used to look when he would scratch up the sofa as a puppy. Yes, he concluded that Pakkun and Sakura definitely both looked adorable, but there was something about the situation with Sakura that made him feel strangely… _warm_.

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi said gently. "That sink has already seen far worse."

That made Sakura lighten up a little bit, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards as her shoulders visibly relaxed. Kakashi pulled the plastic carton of strawberries towards him and proceeded to stab one with his fork. As he was about to put it in his mouth, he eyed Sakura curiously, and hesitated.

"Would you like one?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

She had half of a mind to refuse, as if eating anything in his home would make it seem like she was a recurring entity in it. However, the berry did look awfully yummy and Sakura's stomach was practically begging for food.

"Sure," she said, reaching forward to grab it off of his fork.

But Kakashi pulled the fork away from her and promptly held half of the berry between his masked teeth. Sakura's hand dropped to the table and she recoiled in confusion.

"Come take it," Kakashi instructed simply.

Sakura felt the blush on her cheeks threatening to spread through every inch of her body until she resembled some sort of boiled lobster. But something else inside of her, albeit small, managed to convince her to prop her palms on the table and boost herself across the expanse of it towards Kakashi. She took the nub of the berry in her teeth tentatively at first, waiting for him to pull away or try something coy. But he simply sat there, watching her with amused curiosity, his visible eye practically _daring_ her to take the fruit out of his mouth.

She closed her lips around the strawberry and pulled it away from Kakashi with a wet _pop_. It was sweet and tangy all at the same time and she swallowed with her face merely inches away from his.

"I want another lesson," she whispered, lifting one hand to grab at the front of his vest.

"Patience is a virtue, Sakura," Kakashi said slowly, the words rumbling thickly in the back of his throat.

Sakura quirked him a sly smile. "And I've waited more than long enough."

Kakashi couldn't argue with that. He leaned forward to close the gap between them, nuzzling at her neck and making her let out a soft moan. He heard his own sigh ghost over her skin and was quite taken back by how quickly he was losing control over himself.

"Lesson One," he said, pulling back and extending his hand towards Sakura. "Build up."

She took his hand, staring at him with half-lidded, lustful eyes and slightly parted lips. He backed her against the wall, barring her body between his arms as she let out a surprised squeak when her back made contact with the plaster. He hooked one finger in his mask and Sakura remembered to close her eyes.

This time, he didn't hesitate to kiss her. Her lips were warm and full and felt like he might completely melt into them—melt into _her_ —if he wasn't careful. She was grabbing desperately at his hair and he couldn't help but chuckle against her lips.

"Looks like unruly hair isn't so unattractive after all," he teased lowly, remembering how many times she scolded him over his appearance as he moved to nip at her neck.

She arched so that he could get a better angle. "If you keep kissing me like that, I don't care how your hair looks."

"Damnit, Sakura," he breathed. "When you say things like that…"

She hushed him by capturing his lips with her own. They needn't say anything reckless in the heat of the moment. Kakashi was once her mentor. She was once his student. Despite the fact that these roles no longer mattered societally, Sakura still put him on a pedestal. Involving things like feelings in a situation as delicate as theirs could only result in heartbreak. And Kakashi seemed to understand this because he showed no intention of finishing his sentence.

Sakura wrapped her legs around his waist, steadying herself as her fingers tangled themselves further in his hair. He pressed her tightly to the bulge rapidly growing in his pants, grinding against her in a way that made her breath hitch.

"Lesson two," he said in between kisses. "Her pleasure."

Sakura was vaguely aware of the fact that Kakashi had walked them both to his bedroom, but it wasn't until her back hit the soft sheets and Kakashi was hovering over her that it really clicked. However, what was infinitely more surprising was that she was staring up at him mask-less. The bottom half of his face was every bit as perfect as the top, and Sakura wasn't sure whether she was disappointed that he wasn't hiding some sort of hideous deformity or relieved that he was just as handsome as she pictured. Given their current relationship, she supposed she was relieved.

"Your face," she said.

He smiled his signature eye-crinkle smile, and Sakura concluded that it was even more adorable seeing his lips quirk along with his eyes.

"I didn't think you'd find out quite like this," he said.

She reached one hand up to touch his skin, tentatively at first to give him the chance to veer away. When he didn't pull back, she allowed her fingers to ghost slowly over the sharp curve of his jawline. She wondered if he was at all embarrassed of the tiny beauty mark on the right side of his chin. Surely he wouldn't have gone through the trouble of wearing a mask his entire life because of _that?_ And the more Sakura looked at it, the more she decided that it suited him quite nicely.

"If only Naruto and Sasuke figured out this was all it took to see your face," Sakura teased.

"Somehow I don't think Naruto and Sasuke would have the same effect on me," Kakashi said.

Sakura slid her arms around his neck, attempting to pull him in for another kiss. "And what effect would that be?" she asked.

Kakashi slipped one hand up her thigh and pressed gently against the front of her panties. She inhaled sharply, her feet digging into the sheets. Wordlessly, he moved the fabric on her underwear to the side and teased her entrance with one finger.

"The way you're making me want you right now, of course," Kakashi murmured.

As Kakashi entered her with his finger, it was a strange sensation at first. Warm, slightly uncomfortable, but definitely not bad. It took her a handful of seconds to adjust to the foreign touch and Kakashi remained gentle all the while. Sakura inhaled sharply, trying to resist the growing urge to squirm underneath him.

"Relax," he instructed gently, nipping at the shell of her ear.

His hips were moving in sync with his fingers and, despite her inexperience, Sakura instinctively knew that he was trying to relieve the pressure building between his legs. He was far too much of a gentleman to ever ask her to touch him until she made it explicitly clear that she was ready, so Sakura decided to take matters into her own hands.

She fumbled for a moment as she attempted to tug his pants down, and he froze as her fingers grazed over the expanse of his hips.

"Relax," Sakura mewled.

Despite the teasing lilt in her voice, Kakashi wasn't sure if he had ever heard anything sexier in his life. And as her hand gripped his hardened length, he decided that these lessons were indeed one of the best ideas he had ever concocted.

"Lesson three is his pleasure, right?" Sakura asked.

"More like two and a half," Kakashi groaned. "You'll know when lesson three comes around."

Sakura was quite pleased with his reaction. She hadn't expected to be great by any means, and she was sure that her hand was touching him at a rather awkward angle, but he didn't seem to protest. In fact, the longer that she touched him, the more he seemed to react.

Her breathing was coming out in short, quick gasps and Kakashi's soon followed. He gently moved to take her hand off of him, his cheeks flushed and his fingers shaking.

"You're first," he said simply.

"K-Kakashi…" Sakura breathed, her back arching as she felt her stomach begin to contract.

Her toes curled into the sheets and her vision blurred as she began to ride out her orgasm. He generously pumped his fingers to the rhythm of her pulsing, wondering if he should try and smother her moans with kisses so the neighbors wouldn't hear.

But before he had a chance to decide, Sakura's hand was back on him. He let out a broken groan as he finished and tried to quickly shift his weight to one arm before his muscles were reduced to jelly.

Sakura couldn't help but stare at her stomach once Kakashi collapsed beside her. The thick, sticky substance was pooling low on her belly and she had half of a mind to tease him about it before quickly deciding against it.

"I think I like lesson three the most," Sakura said, turning her head to the side and peering at him with wide eyes.

Kakashi chuckled and pressed a single kiss to her forehead. "Most people do," he said quietly.

"So, what should I do about—?" Sakura asked, her words tapering off as she gestured to her stomach.

If Kakashi was embarrassed, Sakura couldn't tell. Instead, he merely gave her hand a single squeeze and pulled his pants back up to their dangerously low fit on his waist before standing.

"Let me go get something," he said.

As soon as he left the room, Sakura stared at the ceiling and let out a long sigh that she hadn't realized she was holding in. She brushed one finger across her swollen lips gingerly, still shaking slightly from the after-effects of her orgasm. Sakura had never been one for enjoying long lessons, but if she was lucky, she hoped that her lessons with Kakashi would last longer than the world's longest lecture.


	8. Growing

**Quick Info~**

And the chapters keep getting more sinful...~ Anyway, welcome back to another installment of Lessons! I love the dynamic between Sakura and Kakashi in this chapter. Kakashi is _such_ a tease. It doesn't matter if it's playful or sarcastic, he's just always so aloof that it's hard not to translate that into some serious teasing (especially when its towards someone as fiery and expressive as Sakura).

Sorry this chapter is so late! Working retail as the holidays are starting is good because I get more hours but bad because my limited free time has to be divided up into other things. My semester ends in less than a month, though! Thanks for sticking with me through all of this as well as the continued support through reading/reviews/favoriting/following! You guys are awesome :) Also, I can't believe there are over 100 of you following this now?! Where did you all come from?! I'd give you each a hug if I could!

Enjoy the chapter and all of the awkward scene breaks since I'm bad at transitioning! Woo! ;)

* * *

"Damnit, Sakura!"

Tsunade had been working on her temper. Really, she had. And Sakura had seen how far her mentor had progressed in such a short amount of time. Becoming Hokage and suddenly having the responsibility of running an entire village smoothly was a lot to swallow, especially since Tsunade had been away from Konoha for such a long time.

However, today Sakura pushed her too far.

"It's like someone stuffed two giant cotton balls in your ears, girl!" Tsunade fumed, turning on her heel to stare out of the giant window behind the Hokage desk in hopes of calming down.

"I'm sorry, m'lady," Sakura mumbled meekly.

Tsunade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're so bright. One of the brightest medical ninjas I've seen. You shouldn't be slipping up on little things like this!"

"I know! I don't know what's come over me." Sakura looked down at her hands and began to pick at the elastic glove covering her fingers.

"Maybe you're just hungry," Tsunade said, sighing again as she attempted to rationalize her pupil's odd behavior. "I hardly see you take your lunch break when you need to."

"I'm not—"

The gaze that Tsunade gave her rivaled even that of an Uchiha's scorn. Sakura quickly shut her mouth and instead decided to simply agree with her.

"I'll go down to the cafeteria right away," she finished.

"Good. And when you're done, there's a patient waiting in room 22B. I only managed to glance at his admittance slip for a moment. Apparently, you're pretty popular among our male Jonin."

Sakura flushed, remembering how Kakashi had told her something similar recently. Somehow, it felt like an eternity. But she couldn't waste time dwelling on it, as Tsunade was shooing her out of the room with a fiery passion only the Slug Princess possessed.

* * *

Sakura couldn't help but feel like an outsider as she grabbed her plate of drab hospital food and sat down at a table filled with other bubbly medical ninja. Among them was Shizune.

Sakura knew that Tsunade only hired the most capable staff for the hospital, but she also knew that these entirely capable staff members were a lot more than just medics. They also happened to be a one-stop shop for all things gossip. In fact, the rumors exchanged in the cafeteria were worse than reading one of the Konoha newspaper's columns.

"So you really heard that this morning?" one blonde medic asked incredulously, pushing a mushy pile of peas around her plate with her fork.

"I swear on my life!" a brunette said. "I've lived next to him for nearly a decade and haven't heard the slightest peep until now."

"Lady Tsunade hasn't said anything about travelers coming from nearby villages," Shizune said thoughtfully. "Do you really think someone from Konoha could've captured his affections this easily?"

Although Sakura had a sinking suspicion as to whom the other medics were talking about, she still couldn't help but ask. (If for no other reason than to put her suspicion to rest.)

"Who are you talking about?" she asked, attempting to remain nonchalant by focusing on mixing her stir-fry around her plate.

"You haven't heard?" another woman—a young trainee by the looks of it—asked.

"She spends so much time working that she probably doesn't know half of the things going around." The blonde sniggered.

"Maybe she already knows," Shizune said. "After all, Kakashi _was_ her old teacher."

Kakashi's name dropped like a bomb inside of Sakura's stomach. She tried not to completely freeze up, despite the fact that the bite of stir-fry she was about to put in her mouth suddenly looked as appetizing as a congealed blob of wet dog food. She choked down her food, chewing evenly as she tried to remain calm.

So maybe she was a little bit louder than she realized. Kakashi's walls had seemed a little bit thin, come to think of it. However, judging by the way the women were staring at her expectantly, they had no idea that she was the lover in question.

"Kakashi-sensei has a girlfriend?" Sakura asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Damn," the blonde said. "Guess she doesn't know after all."

"I don't think that he has a girlfriend. I never see him walking around with anyone except for his teammates, Captain Yamato, and Gai," Shizune commented.

"Well, whoever she is, she's got quite the mouth on her," the brunette said. "I could hear her moaning ' _K-Kakashi!'_ from outside of the building."

Sakura flushed even redder. Her cheeks were so hot she was worried that everyone at the table could feel the temperature radiating off of them.

"Now you're exaggerating," the trainee giggled. "Although, he is quite handsome. I wouldn't be surprised if he had an intense sex life."

"I've always pegged him as more of a pervert than anything else."

"Ooh, like the type who fantasize about school teachers and their students and all of that stuff in those Icha Icha books?"

All of the eyes on the table shifted awkwardly to Sakura. She knew she looked embarrassed. She could tell by the way the ladies quickly tried to change the subject that they knew, too.

"I should probably get going," Sakura said, standing and clutching her tray so hard her knuckles turned white. "I've got a patient waiting. Oh, and just for the record, Kakashi might like perverted books, but he's never so much as looked at a woman perversely in all of the years that I've known him. Why don't you try spreading a rumor like that for once?"

She hadn't meant to sound so harsh, in fear of making her seem guilty, but she couldn't help it. Despite the recent change in her relationship with Kakashi, she still respected him immensely. He was one of the greatest shinobi she had the chance of knowing. Even if he didn't care about his reputation much, Sakura certainly wouldn't have his name trampled on if she could help it. Rumors or not, Kakashi deserved the upmost respect.

* * *

"Yo."

One deadpanned chuckle, eye-crinkled smile, and wave later, Sakura was definitely rethinking everything she had been fuming about walking into the room. Kakashi was sitting in the hospital bed, positively shirtless, with an IV stuck in his arm.

"Do I want to know?" Sakura asked, looking down at her clipboard and shaking her head.

Kakashi shrugged. "Perhaps I tried to execute the Chidori a few more times than I should have."

Sakura sighed and closed the door behind her. "Kakashi-sensei, I know—"

"So you've decided to start calling me 'sensei' again, then?" Kakashi asked, cutting her off with a sly grin.

Sakura found her cheeks flushing again for the umpteenth time that day. She remembered how the woman in the cafeteria mimicked her moans and how Sakura had most certainly not included his title anywhere in it. Thankfully, too, because there were only a handful of people in the village who tacked 'sensei' on the end of Kakashi's name.

"You really should be more careful saying stuff like that out loud," Sakura scolded as she readied her stethoscope. "Some other medical ninja in the cafeteria today overheard us this morning. Now, take a deep breath."

She placed the cool metal against his chest, pressing just above his heart. Kakashi complied, inhaling in a way that puffed out his chest enough to force Sakura to stare at his muscles.

"Did they compliment your performance? It was quite good," Kakashi said nonchalantly, his gaze quickly flickering from the stethoscope to her face.

"No," Sakura said crossly. "In fact, they sort of made fun of it. Breathe in again."

She had moved the stethoscope to his back and her breasts were hovering dangerously close to his face. It took all of the restraint that Kakashi had in that moment to refrain from teasingly sticking his face in her cleavage.

"Well from what I could see, you were the epitome of beauty," Kakashi said, smiling up at her in that falsely innocent way of his.

Sakura decided to verbally ignore him, despite the way her insides squirmed at his compliment. Instead, she drew back, and reached for the eye, nose, and throat examination tool.

"Your breathing is normal," she said. "Open your eyes nice and wide."

"Both eyes?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura sighed. "Yes, _both_. You're in here often enough. You should know the drill by now."

Kakashi complied, pushing up his forehead protector and blinking in an attempt to adjust his left eye to the sudden stream of light. Sakura leaned forward and peered through the tiny magnifying glass at his right eye. When that looked normal, she hesitated before moving to the left. Despite the recent intimacy between the pair, Sakura still had a hard time bringing herself to stare directly into the Sharingan. Kakashi wouldn't dare activate it, but there was something rather unsettling about being so close to something that had the ability to cause massive amounts of destruction from simply _existing_.

"The left is good as well," Sakura said quietly, straightening as Kakashi pulled his protector back over the gleaming red eye.

"Am I good to go then?" Kakashi asked.

"Your chakra levels are still dangerously low. I'm surprised you managed to walk all the way to the hospital by yourself," Sakura said.

Kakashi winced.

"Perhaps Gai and Lee helped a little," he muttered.

"Please don't exert yourself so much," Sakura said, finally dropping her role as a medic to talk to him like a friend, or even—dare she think it—lover. "There's really no need to—"

In an instant, Kakashi tugged on her wrist to bring her face next to his. His mask was off and his lips were on hers, kissing her generously like she was his first drink of water after days of dehydration.

"I'm fine," he murmured against her lips. "Please don't worry about me."

Sakura stood, blinking and dazed, as one shaking hand reached up to touch her lips. She felt paralyzed as he stared up at her like everything was just as normal as it always had been. She wondered if she should reprimand him for trying something like that in public or kiss him again because _goddamn_ she wanted to.

"So this is how it's going to be?" Sakura whispered quietly.

"Lesson four," Kakashi responded coyly. "Growing."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura asked, clutching the clipboard against her chest in a pathetic attempt to even her breathing.

"Looks like we'll have to find out," Kakashi said, the mischievous glimmer in his eyes entirely too attractive when Sakura could see his whole face.

* * *

Sakura had heard the rumors that Kakashi used to hold rules above all else. After meeting him for the first time, she was sure that he was still holding onto at least a little bit of his old paradigm. However, as the years passed and the pair grew closer, Kakashi's lax attitude began to outweigh his determination to always follow the Shinobi code.

Unfortunately for Sakura, his aforementioned lax attitude towards the rules extended into all parts of his life. Including, but not limited to, his sex life.

Sakura found out that lesson four was less about growing in private and a lot more about pushing her to her limits as publicly as he could without drawing too much attention. And since the pair were both Jonin and worked together well, they were often in the same place at the same time.

"Naruto, do you have anything else to add to the meeting?" Tsunade sighed.

The monthly strategy meetings that Tsunade held in the Hokage office were necessary, but typically dreadful. This was partially because meetings in general were boring, but also because listening to Naruto's essay-length requests for more ramen houses made it that much worse.

Kakashi had been behaving himself for the majority of the meeting. However, as soon as Naruto launched into his speech about ramen once again, he found himself growing rather fidgety.

A single finger brushed against Sakura's bare leg underneath the table. She jolted slightly, attempting to keep the strained smile on her face from faltering even after she realized what he was trying to do. His hand continued to travel up her thigh, effortlessly pushing the fabric on her skirt aside to press his fingers against her panties.

Sakura squirmed, trying to steal a glance at him but only receiving a nonchalant, half-lidded expression in return. Kakashi could feel the wetness growing on her panties and he stealthily draped one leg over his other knee to hide his obviously growing erection.

"—and that's how students from the Academy could have better incentive, ya know?" Naruto finished enthusiastically.

"Naruto, we've been over this," Tsunade said impatiently. "As much as you love ramen, I don't think anyone else here agrees with—"

Sakura yelped suddenly, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide. As soon as the sound came out of her mouth, she clamped one hand to cover it. All eyes darted to her curiously, some more annoyed than others.

"You finally agree with me, Sakura? I knew you couldn't resist after all this time!" Naruto exclaimed.

"N-no, I just… I, umm, I thought I felt a bug crawling on my leg. That's all," Sakura muttered, quietly slapping Kakashi's hand away from her legs underneath the table.

Naruto, Tsunade, Sai, Yamato, and Shizune shared confused glances. Kakashi coughed once, attempting to stifle his amused chuckling and Sakura stomped on his foot as hard as she could without being too obvious.

"Well, this seems to have taken as bizarre of a turn as always," Shizune said, closing her notebook and carelessly tossing it to the ground beside Tonton.

"Meeting adjourned," Tsunade agreed, rubbing her temples with her fingers.

Sakura usually liked to stay after the meetings were over. It gave her time to catch up with Sai and Yamato, as she saw them significantly less frequently ever since the war ended. But as soon as the words left Tsunade's mouth, Sakura high-tailed it out of the Hokage office with Kakashi trailing lazily behind her. As soon as they were out of earshot of the others, she pinned him up against the wall and glared at him.

"What was that?" she hissed.

Kakashi merely shrugged. "I suppose you know better than I do. After all, it was _your_ body reacting."

"But that's because your hand was wandering in areas that it definitely should not be wandering!"

"You didn't seem to protest much the morning after Ino's party," Kakashi said wryly.

Sakura was staring at him with such an intent fire in her eyes that he wasn't sure if she was planning on kissing him or punching him through the wall. Weirdly enough, he was almost hoping for both outcomes.

"Look," Sakura said evenly, her fiery expression cooling down and a mischievous glimmer replacing it. "If this is how you want to play it, then fine. I'll play your little game, Kakashi Hatake."

"Sakura, I—"

But before Kakashi had time to respond, Sakura had reached her hand down by his crotch, giving his ebbing erection just a dainty enough squeeze to make him inhale sharply.

"It must be your turn for a lesson in _growing_ ," Sakura said, her breath hot against his cheeks as she stood on her tiptoes to whisper to him.

She turned on her heel and walked back down the hall to meet up with the others. Kakashi merely stayed put, leaning against the wall and attempting to regain his composure. If he could've melted into a puddle, he was sure that by now Sakura would've reduced him to one.


	9. The Petal that Fell

**Quick Info~**

This chapter is short and nearly pure smut. I mean, it was bound to happen sooner or later! A few things to note about this chapter: First, I think it is unrealistic to portray sex without some method of contraceptive. I know that Naruto is a fantasy world and that they're ninja, but they're also human. So if reading about meticulous stuff like putting on condoms turns you off, I apologize. I just can't write a realistic relationship without adding that. Second, yes, Sakura is a virgin. Everyone's first time experiences are different, though, and some tend to hurt less than others. She's also a complete badass who endured way worse wounds than "popping her cherry" (which most likely would have already happened to her anyway). So please just keep those two things in mind as you read.

Also, I apologize about the lack of updates last week! University didn't give me an entire Thanksgiving break, so when I was finally off, I spent it with family and friends. I also spent almost all of yesterday working the hell that is Black Friday. Hopefully you guys got to relax a little last week, too, regardless of whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving! :)

So with those details out of the way, I'd like to present the next chapter! Thank you again to all of the wonderful reviews/favorites/follows/reads! You guys are fantastic! I seriously wish I could properly thank each and every one of you! Enjoy :)

* * *

After Sakura's declaration of war, Kakashi was always on the lookout to strike. It didn't matter where they were or whom they were with; if he was able to get her alone for even a fraction of a second before she realized what was happening, he did. The Leaf Village was no longer a sleepy town used as a place for taking a break between missions. Instead, it was an incredibly intricate map, with hideouts to be discovered and nooks and crannies to make out in.

He must've smothered his name on her lips at least dozens of times within the short span of a few days. In fact, he couldn't even walk around town without remembering all of the spots he had taken her. He saw her topless and flushed whenever he'd walk by the crates lining the backside of Ichiraku. He saw her biting her tongue to contain her moans in the supply closet near the Hokage office. Even the abandoned, dusty training grounds near the arena where the Chunin exams were held weren't free from images of Sakura hiking up her dress and arching in pleasure over him.

Needless to say, it was becoming quite a distraction—one that reading Icha Icha while walking through town couldn't even save at times.

"My birthday is in a week," Sakura said, lounging on the couch in the Jonin break room as Kakashi filed paperwork.

"Mmhmm," he said absently, brows furrowing as he scribbled down tidbits of information from their last mission.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, sitting up as soon as she noticed the confused look on his face.

"The guidelines for the paperwork require me to explain everything that happened on the mission," Kakashi said. "I suppose that includes our kiss?"

She, Shikamaru, and Naruto had already submitted their versions of the mission summary weeks ago. However, as the team leader, Kakashi must've had to go into greater detail. Or he simply forgot. Sakura decided that it was probably a combination of the two.

She couldn't help but flush, trying to imagine the look on Tsunade's face when she read his report. Konoha needn't be rebuilt another time, and the reign of terror that a legendary Sannin could cause would be catastrophic.

"Was it pertinent to the mission?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi's eye lazily sloped sideways, locking onto hers. "Depends on who's mission we're talking about."

"Well, I'm sure Lady Tsunade won't want to read about, umm, _personal_ missions. Just stick to the basics," Sakura said, letting out a giggle as she attempted to brush away his comment by waving her hand in the air.

"You know," Kakashi continued, finishing up the paperwork and inserting it into the Hokage's mail slot. "Despite it's name, the Jonin break room has yet to be _broken in_."

"What about Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei?" Sakura squeaked, her eyes trained on Kakashi as he moved steadily towards the couch.

"I was referring to _our_ game, Sakura," Kakashi said, placing one hand on the couch as he leaned in to hover over her.

She let out a long sigh and Kakashi felt it reminded him of the sound she made when settling down after a long mission. Content, relaxed, _home_. He smiled at her gently, taking in just how beautiful she looked underneath him. Her lips were parted, waiting for their inevitable kiss. Her cheeks were flushed, images running rampant through her mind of the experience that was to come.

As Kakashi felt his heart beating rapidly against his chest, he wondered just when his little lessons turned into something more.

He leaned down to kiss her slowly. A low groan was hot on his lips, harmonizing with the mewl of affection she made as they moved together in almost perfect synchronization. Sakura had memorized the patterns of his kisses by now and was more adept at knowing just how to make him want her.

"Sakura," Kakashi murmured. "I think maybe we should head back to my place instead."

Sakura's eyes widened but she didn't argue. The look on his face seemed serious, as if he intended on making their escapade more of an event. She planted sweet kisses along his jawline as they began to stand up.

Walking back to his apartment would be hard. The burning between Sakura's thighs was intensifying, making her nearly ache for him. She could tell by the way Kakashi strategically had his hands in his pockets that he felt the same way.

Luck must've been on Sakura's side for once, as they managed to avoid everyone they knew on the way to his apartment. He turned the key in the lock agonizingly slow, eyeing Sakura carefully all the while.

But as soon as they were safely behind closed doors, Kakashi was grasping at her clothes. One by one, articles were stripped from both of them, trailing carelessly to the bedroom. Kakashi placed one hand on Sakura's back, lowering her gently onto the sheets. She blinked, wide eyes moving to his face.

Her hands tentatively reached up, curling her fingers into the soft fabric of his mask. She waited for him to take her hands away; she had never gathered the courage to take it off herself before. But Kakashi simply stared back at her, wordlessly and calmly.

"Are you ready?" Kakashi asked gently once his face was in full-view.

Sakura nodded, swallowing the butterflies steadily fluttering inside of her. She trusted Kakashi with her life. She had on numerous occasions. And despite her nervousness, there was a familiar sense of peace washing over her as he began to kiss her.

She was already plenty wet from the build up in the Jonin break room and Kakashi's kisses were weighing heavier on her lips. He positioned himself in between her legs, taking a condom out of the nightstand and carefully opening it.

"Just relax," he instructed.

Sakura inhaled sharply as soon as she felt him inside of her. He went slowly at first, allowing her time to adjust to his size. She squirmed uncomfortably, but Kakashi was taking away any nervousness she felt with every kiss.

"You…" Sakura whispered, eyes fluttering shut as he slid fully into her.

"Mmm?" Kakashi asked, his voice thick and husky.

"You can go faster, if you want."

Kakashi's hands roamed Sakura's body as he began to thrust his hips. She had never been touched like that by him before—by _anyone_ like that before. It was almost as if he was merely ghosting over her skin, his fingertips dropping tiny pinpoints across her legs, her sides, and her arms.

And for a moment, if she hadn't known better, she would've said that she and Kakashi were making love.

Her thoughts quickly dissolved as she suddenly became very aware of her own steadily approaching orgasm. Kakashi's breath was hot on her skin; his eyes closed in red-cheeked concentration. The pain Sakura felt no longer compared to the warm, tingling feeling encompassing her body.

"K- _Kakashi,_ " she moaned.

Nails dug into flesh.

Toes curled into the sheets.

The sweat glistening on his chest made contact with her skin and all she could think about was how wonderful it would be to stay on the edge like this with him forever.

But his thrusts were beginning to grow uneven and his breathing ragged. He swallowed a strangled groan against her lips and he kissed away his name that was leaving her throat in droves.

Kakashi was quickly losing control, and he broke the kiss in time to throw his head back and cry out, "Sakura!"

Her name was so clear on his lips that she couldn't help but tumble over the edge. She bucked her hips up against his, her center convulsing around him as she came. He wasn't far behind, driving into her in shaky, half-thrusts.

Kakashi sighed as his arms gave out underneath him. Sakura couldn't help but giggle, running one hand through his hair. She felt sore, but not enough to ask him to immediately pull out, so they stayed connected for a few minutes.

"No holes?" Sakura asked as Kakashi discarded the condom.

Kakashi shook his head. "The last thing we need is another Hatake running around the village."

"They'd be part Haruno, too," Sakura corrected as Kakashi flopped back down onto the bed.

He grimaced, imagining a child as headstrong as Sakura and as genius as himself. A recipe for disaster, no doubt. "That sounds even less appealing."

Sakura nudged him playfully before cuddling up next to him, resting her head on his chest.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura's eyes were closed, her fingers tracing nonsensical patterns on his chest as she listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart. She could feel a familiar burning sensation building in the back of her eyes and she quickly told herself that she'd rather spend an eternity in one of Itachi Uchiha's genjutsus than cry in front of Kakashi again.

"Yes," Sakura said, her voice sounding much meeker than she had intended.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, not at all."

Kakashi sat up, willing Sakura to look at him when he did. "Then what's wrong?"

"It's silly," Sakura said, picking at the bed sheets as she let out a shaky laugh. "I just don't want this to end."

Kakashi's eyes widened and he smiled, internally thankful that she was in the same mindset as he was.

"There's still a week until your birthday, remember, and there's still so much you have to learn," he said simply.

Sakura's lips quirked into a smile.

"After all, beating Ino is one of your favorite pastimes, right?" he added.

"I suppose," Sakura said.

"Then what kind of ex-sensei would I be if I didn't help you achieve your goals?" He waggled his eyebrows at Sakura and it was so out of character for him that she burst out laughing.

And amidst the humor and the lighthearted atmosphere that Kakashi always strived to create with Sakura, there was an underlining feeling. It was small, but it was there, beating in a dormant place in Kakashi's heart that he was certain he had locked away forever.


	10. Fingertips

**Quick Info~**

Hey guys! Welcome back! :)

Last chapter didn't exactly get the response I was hoping for. I will admit that I have lots to learn in terms of writing proper sex scenes and all of your comments were really helpful towards my own improvement. I will most likely go back and edit the chapter to make it less technical and more emotional. Anyway, thank you guys for letting me know your thoughts!

This chapter should definitely be a lot more emotional. I think there are a lot of parallels between Kakashi and Sakura's experiences, at least in terms of losing people they care about. So I kept that in mind when creating this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it! Also, I live for Team Kakashi interactions. I'd watch the shit out of a filler arch just about their banter.

There are **spoilers** for a Kakashi-related arch in Shippuden in this chapter. I'd also like to put **TW: Panic Attacks** , as I know a lot of people (including myself) suffer from them. You've been warned!

As always, enjoy! Thanks again for the feedback and favorites/follows! :D

* * *

Despite the fact that Team Kakashi had disbanded in terms of going on proper missions together, that didn't mean that the five ninja decided to stop referring to their group as such. Every once in awhile, when the timing was right and there was a lull in the amount of incoming and outgoing missions, the group was able to get together and reminisce.

However, the intimate group of five had expanded rather quickly as soon as Ino insisted on accompanying Sai almost everywhere. And to not be outdone by someone as "robotic" and "unromantic" as Sai, Naruto quickly made sure that Hinata joined the group, too. Sakura didn't mind; it was nice to have other female voices to drown out the male paradigm every once in awhile.

So on one particularly warm evening, Team Kakashi—accompanied by Ino and Hinata, of course—decided to catch up at a cozy teahouse near the base of Hokage Mountain.

"I'm going to assume that your mission was a success, Tenzo?" Kakashi asked.

Yamato sighed, sipping green tea from a porcelain teacup that somehow managed to make him look that much more intimidating. "Please, senpai, you know better than to call me that name. But to answer your question, the last few missions I've been a part of have been a breeze. I can't help but wonder if something bigger is coming soon."

"Don't say things like that, Captain Yamato," Sakura said, running one finger around the lip of her teacup and frowning. "We've had more than enough excitement for one lifetime."

Kakashi stealthily squeezed her thigh under the table, making her slam her knee against the wood. She held in a squeak of pain, instead choosing to relish the feeling of slowly crushing Kakashi's foot with her own.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Sai asked.

"Just peachy," Sakura said through gritted teeth.

She decided to ignore the strange looks she was receiving from her teammates, hoping that someone would bring up another conversation about _anything_ to divert the attention away from her _._

"I know you haven't had much in terms of missions, Kakashi," Yamato said, and Sakura let out a breath of relief that the conversation was back on track. "But I did hear an interesting rumor about you the other day."

"Oh?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Several nurses at the hospital have reported earthquake levels of activity coming from your apartment," Yamato said slyly.

Ino clamped one hand over her mouth, her eyes instantly meeting Sakura's. Hinata blushed awkwardly, turning into Naruto's shoulder. Sai couldn't help but smirk along with Yamato and Naruto remained just as clueless as he usually did.

"Earthquake? Have you been practicing a new jutsu, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi gave him an eye-crinkle. "Something like that."

But Sai wasn't having it. He lifted his sketchpad off of the table and proceeded to hit Naruto over the back of the head with it. "Seriously, how daft can you be?" he asked.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and scowled. "Jeeze, you don't have to be so mean all the time. It's not like Kakashi-sensei has girls coming over to his apartment, so of course I thought it meant something else."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at that. She glanced at Kakashi, who looked momentarily deflated, before quietly returning to her drink.

"Why don't you think Kakashi-sensei is romantically involved?" Ino asked, purposefully avoiding Sakura's nonverbal plea to just drop the subject already.

Naruto shrugged. "I've never seen him with a girl, and you can't exactly kiss someone with that mask on all the time."

"Maybe he takes it off?" Hinata suggested quietly.

"Yeah right!" Naruto laughed. "If he won't show his own students, why would he show some random girl?"

"Maybe she's not as random as you think she is," Kakashi added. "But in any case, how I choose to spend my private time really isn't any of your concern, is it?"

The group shut up after that. Sakura was thankful, albeit slightly pissed that he managed to more or less admit that his lover was someone they knew. But if anyone caught on, they didn't dare question it. Kakashi typically let conversations drag on without much input, so when he dared to question the conversation, people knew it was best to listen.

The remainder of the night was rather uneventful and Sakura found her eyes beginning to feel heavy. Kakashi must have caught on to this, as he was the first to decide to call it a night.

"It's been great catching up!" Sakura said, hugging everyone as enthusiastically as her fatigued arms could manage.

"You better tell me everything later," Ino whispered into Sakura's ear.

And despite the smile on her lips, Ino's words were dripping with venom.

"Don't count on it, Pig," Sakura whispered back, smiling and laughing along with her.

The group decidedly went their separate ways, with Hinata trailing behind Naruto and stuttering something about going back to her place for a movie, and Yamato stopping to pet a stray cat before looking over his shoulder to make sure no one had seen.

Sakura was more than ready to get back to her apartment and crash, but a hand on the small of her back and a whisper in her ear suddenly steered her towards a different apartment instead.

* * *

"You know, you ought to be more subtle talking about me like that," Sakura said breathlessly, tangling her fingers in Kakashi's hair as he worked at her skillfully with his head between her legs.

"Mmmph," was Kakashi's muffled response, the words vibrating against his lips and sending a shockwave through Sakura's center.

"Someone is going to catch on that we—oh!—that we… Kakashi!"

It had been the third time he sent her over the edge that night, his hands gripping her shaking thighs as she bucked up towards his mouth. He had wanted to tell her how absolutely maddening it was to sit next to her during tea and _not_ make her moan his name. However, it seemed she was still intent on keeping their escapades as tight-lipped of a secret as one could, and Kakashi wasn't about to push it.

Sakura fell back against the pillow, eyes heavy and sleepiness quickly clouding her vision. Normally, she'd make some teasing comment about how using a rock would be preferable to sleeping on his off-white, flat-as-a-board pillows, but tonight all she wanted was to curl up against his chest and listen to the lull of crickets outside of his window.

Kakashi brushed her hair away from her forehead and pulled her against him. He was slightly uncomfortable as he tried to swallow his own arousal. He knew quite well before their lessons started that Sakura was the focus of the pleasure. That wasn't to say that she wasn't eager to give just as much as she was to receive, of course.

"We didn't finish you," Sakura mumbled sleepily, attempting to prop herself up and slip one hand down his pants.

Kakashi grabbed her wrist gently and led it back up to his chest. "There's always tomorrow," he hummed softly.

"Mm, tomorrow," Sakura repeated.

She was out like a light within seconds. Kakashi rested his cheek against her head, his fingers tracing lazy circles on her arm as he stared out of the window and into the night.

He had been feeling strange lately, almost constricted, and he was convinced that it was all because of Sakura. Allowing another person to begin to wriggle their way into one's heart was not without its drawbacks. Allowing oneself to _feel_ again also allowed a barrage of negative emotions to flood in with the positive. And while Sakura was able to keep Kakashi's positive emotions flowing when she was with him, nighttime and silence often fueled the fire for the negative ones.

So Kakashi took a deep breath and willed himself to fall asleep, attempting to only concentrate on Sakura's even breathing and how adorable it sounded whenever she'd let out a tiny snore.

Kakashi wasn't sure when he had woken up, but he was almost positive that he wasn't breathing anymore. He gripped the mattress as tightly as he could, hoping that the physical assertion would be enough to send his mind catapulting back to earth. He looked down at his fingers, hoping to at least see that they were cooperating with his panicked mind, but all he could see were streaks of lightning. And blood.

And _her_ face.

Gasping, he stood and stumbled into the bathroom, flicking on the light switch and turning on the sink. He stuck his hands under the cool water, waiting and praying that the memory would subside and the blood would go away.

He rang his hands over each other, over and over again, until the skin started to feel raw and the blood that he _knew_ wasn't really there _,_ but for some reason couldn't actually convince his brain of this, washed down the drain. When he could finally breathe again, he turned off the sink and dried his hands on his pants. As one finger reached up to turn the bathroom light off, his gaze flickered to the woman in his bed.

Sakura was sitting up, her green eyes peering at him worriedly. She was clutching the sheets against her chest, lips parted as if she had a million different things to say but couldn't bring herself to say them.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Kakashi said, giving her an eye-smile as he slid back into bed beside her.

"Nightmare?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Living through a war doesn't come with a lot of great perks," Kakashi said simply, answering her question in his own telltale way.

"It was about Rin," Sakura said, and the way she phrased her words left no room for a question.

Kakashi side-eyed her, nodding once. He was convinced that those dreams had stopped long ago. Joining ANBU was all it took to squelch his emotions and take all of the bad dreams about Rin and Obito and his father and countless others away. But then he met his Genin, and they began to chip away that hardened exterior little by little. And Sakura, in all of her emotional beauty, must have removed the final piece without him even knowing.

"You didn't do anything wrong," she said.

Kakashi _knew_ that. She wasn't the first to tell him. But she was the first one he wanted to believe.

"Kiss me," he said hoarsely, needing to feel her skin against his.

Needing to feel that she was there and that everything was all right and that he was under control again.

Instead of smashing her lips against his, Sakura simply smiled and took his hand. Then, raising it up towards her mouth, she spread out his fingers and pressed her lips against his skin. Each finger, one by one, until the center of his palm was the only part of his hand that had remained untouched.

"Your hands are worth much more than that memory," Sakura murmured, planting one final kiss in the middle of his palm.

Kakashi didn't know what to say. He didn't know if there were even words that he _should_ say. So he remained silent, watching Sakura wrap her arms around his neck and cling to his body like she needed him much more than he needed her.

Evidently, he knew, it was exactly the opposite.


	11. A Pragmatic's Lament

**Quick Info~**

Welcome back to the next chapter! It's crazy how much of a different turn this story has taken from what I originally planned. I guess I just let Kakashi and Sakura take the lead and wrote wherever they went. ;) This chapter has a lot of skipping because Kakashi and Sakura aren't in the same place (but both of the scenes they have are plot pertinent). It's a different style of writing that I quite like!

Anyway, thanks again for all of the love! Hopefully I'm not posting this too late for those of you who aren't in the same time zone as me! :) I'm adding some author's notes at the end of this chapter...slowly going to try and switch to putting them down there permanently.

* * *

When Sakura woke up the next morning, Kakashi was already gone. He had left the bed sheets rumpled beside her and his pillow was still imprinted with a dip in the middle from his restless mind during the night. From the looks of it, he couldn't have been gone too long.

Sakura didn't even have to leave the bedroom to realize that his escape had been hasty and unplanned. The window near the corner of the room was shut (thankfully, as Naruto and Gai had a nasty habit of entering through open spaces without an invitation) and the dusty, gray curtain that Sakura loathed was pinned down against the windowpane. Kakashi refusing to use the front door to his own apartment seemed odd, even for him, but Sakura decided not to dwell on it much.

Instead, she padded into the kitchen and rummaged through his fridge in an attempt to cook him breakfast upon his return. It was the least she could do, really. The man was living off of take out and frozen dinners.

The inside of Kakashi's refrigerator was just as minimalistic as the rest of his apartment. He had the essentials, though, and wasn't nearly as bad as Naruto when it came to abiding by expiration dates. She pulled out a container of eggs and decided on cooking him something sunny-side up, to more or less keep him smiling after his flashback the night prior.

"It's been awhile since I smelled anything homemade."

And suddenly Pakkun was beside her, staring up at her with droopy eyes and a laidback expression. Sometimes Sakura couldn't help but wonder if Pakkun was actually made specifically for Kakashi. 'Man's best friend' surely rubbed off on his personality, if nothing else.

"Oh, Pakkun! I didn't know Kakashi summoned you," Sakura said, suddenly all too aware of her clothing. Or rather, a lack thereof.

She had taken up wearing Kakashi's old undershirts whenever she slept over since they were big enough to completely engulf her, and _only_ his shirts. She liked them because they were cozy and old and, if she was being honest with herself, felt like a constant hug directly from Kakashi.

"Relax, girl," Pakkun said, plopping down on the cool tile and closing his eyes. "I ain't gonna tell anyone about your's and Kakashi's little secret."

Sakura let out a breath of relief, careful to remember to turn down the burner before the eggs became inedible pieces of charcoal.

"Hey, Pakkun, where is Kakashi?" she asked.

* * *

"It's been awhile," Kakashi said quietly.

He was unsure whether or not he should sit, so he simply stared ahead awkwardly. He felt like he was a stranger to them again, just as cold and distant as he was when they first started training together. In fact, he was sure he could count on one hand the number of times he had visited them in the past few weeks.

"But then again, I suppose I wasn't the best teammate to begin with," he continued.

* * *

"I know he's got a soft spot for you now—" Pakkun said in between bites of egg.

He had convinced Sakura to let him and the other ninken have the first batch since Kakashi still hadn't arrived home.

"—but I'm not sure he'd appreciate me tellin' ya," he finished.

Sakura's cheek slumped in her hand. "I understand that and I respect his privacy. I'm just…worried after what happened last night."

"I was thinkin', Sakura. Kakashi hasn't had a nightmare in years. After he went into ANBU, they did something to him in there. Took away all of his emotions."

"What does that have to do with the nightmares coming back now?" Sakura asked.

She knew ANBU didn't exactly have the cleanest reputation. Despite their undercover missions, rumors couldn't help but circulate about the less-than-savory things that went on in the industry. Somehow, Sakura just couldn't picture Kakashi's face underneath one of those creepily serene animal masks.

"I think he's _feeling_ things again," Pakkun said, shuddering.

But Sakura couldn't help but notice the faintest grin tugging on his lips.

* * *

"I've got some news," Kakashi said, deciding to sit on the ground cross-legged.

He picked at the little blades of grass before flicking them into the wind. Then, grimacing, he placed a single lily in front of the headstone and tilted his head towards the sun.

"I'm not sure if it's good or bad yet. I bet you're both wondering what it is. I can picture you, Obito, acting like it's no big deal while you're dying inside to know. And Rin? Please be gentle with your reaction. I'm not used to this sort of thing."

The breeze rustled through the trees, and even though Kakashi couldn't see them, he was sure they were smiling.

"I'm telling you first because you can't tell anyone else," he said. "You remember Sakura, right? Well, I've gotten into quite the predicament with her."

* * *

"That's good, though!" Sakura exclaimed.

Pakkun snorted. "Depends on who you ask."

And then Sakura grew very quiet, the faintest blush reaching her cheeks. She curled her fingers into a nervous fist on the table and stared at Pakkun with big, wondering eyes. "Pakkun…what kind of feelings?"

The dog paused, pondering whether or not it was his place to tell her.

* * *

"I think that I'm love with her," Kakashi murmured, the words barely audible to even his own ears.

He felt something warm and airy bubbling up in his throat. The feeling reached his eyes first and laughter quickly followed. It started off as a low chuckle and quickly escalated into something loud and bright. If he hadn't known he was laughing, the sound probably would've startled him. When was the last time he laughed like that? He was inclined to believe that the answer was never.

"Is it ridiculous?" he asked, focusing on the headstone again as his eyebrows furrowed.

He laughed once again. Harshly. Bitterly. Like he was trying to get a vile taste out of his mouth. "I think I gave up on love long before I even had the chance to experience it. You know that better than anyone, Rin."

As if on command, wind brushed across the petals of the lily, rustling them almost like Rin's delicate fingertips were ghosting over the waxy surface.

"What could I give her? A modest Jonin salary and irrational fear of losing her? Real romantic."

"Come on, Kakashi. You know you've got a lot more to offer than that."

A familiar staccato voice startled Kakashi. Without turning around, it was easy enough to tell who it was. Gai was the only person that Kakashi knew whose voice could somehow manage to sound like caramel slowly dripping into a tin pail. Choppy, blunt, yet surprisingly smooth.

"You'd think my eternal rival would consider sharing such an intimate detail about his love life, eh Kakashi?" Gai asked, placing one reassuring hand on Kakashi's shoulder as the other rested firmly against his green jumpsuit-ed waist.

"We can't exactly have a contest over something like this, Gai," Kakashi responded simply.

"Right you are! However, affairs of the heart are my specialty!"

Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle. He shrugged out of Gai's grasp and gave one final glance towards the headstone. He hoped that wherever Rin was, she and Obito were happy together.

"Oh yeah?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "I'll keep that in mind next time you stumble over your words in front of the vendor at the apple stall."

Gai's mouth dropped open. "Do _not_ bring my inability to decide between Gala and Granny Smith into this! So, rival, who is this maiden bringing your heart back into its youth?"

Kakashi smiled. "Where's the fun in telling you that?"

Gai pouted, crossing his arms over his chest and furrowing his bushy eyebrows. "At least give me a hint. I may not be a protégée genius like you, but I can hold my own when it comes to remembering people's faces. Is she from the village?"

Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle, knowing very well that Gai lacked the ability to remember anyone on the spot. "Alright, Gai. I'll play along. Let's just say that she's the most capable woman I've ever known."

Gai's face scrunched up as he pondered what Kakashi said, mentally going through all of the women he could think of. In the short few seconds that followed, there was a lot of head shaking, mumbling, and counting irrelevant numbers on his fingers.

"I've really got to get going," Kakashi said. "I'm quite late for a very important meeting."

"Wait!" Gai exclaimed, one hand flinging in front of Kakashi's face as his fingers uncurled from his palm in an attempt to stop Kakashi. "Even if you won't tell me who she is, it doesn't really matter. Anyone good enough to capture your heart is good enough for me. Just don't sell yourself short, alright?"

Kakashi's expression softened. Gai was one of the few people that he owed his life to multiple times over. In fact, for many intents and purposes, Gai is the sole being in the universe that was able to fling Kakashi out of his mental rut.

"Thank you, Gai," Kakashi said.

Gai nodded, knowing that there were thousands of other words he could say but also knowing that none of them compared to mutual understanding the pair shared. In a puff of smoke, Kakashi disappeared, leaving Gai behind in the cemetery.

Turning to Rin's grave, Gai smiled.

"You really left me with a handful, didn't you?" He chuckled, loud and long, before wiping a single tear from his eyes. "I just hope Sakura knows what she's getting into."

* * *

When Kakashi arrived home, his palms were sweating. It was a strange sensation, one he definitely wasn't used to, and his heart was pounding in his chest. Even though he had an inkling that he may have been in love with Sakura long before, admitting it out loud made it feel almost as though he had signed some sort of invisible contract to make the feelings that much more real.

When he unlocked the front door and stepped inside, the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Sakura, there's something we need to—"

He was met with soft snoring in response. His eyes widened and he shrugged off his flack jacket before walking towards the sofa. Sakura was curled up on the couch, her head resting against Bull's stomach and her arms cradling Pakkun to her chest. The other ninken were lounging around her, either stuffing closer together on the couch or sleeping on the floor just beneath it.

Pakkun raised a sleepy ear as Kakashi let out a quiet chuckle. The dog simply sighed and snuggled back into Sakura's arms, but not before he made sure that Kakashi knew neither of them would speak of this ever again.

The nervousness faded away from Kakashi's stomach like a knot quickly unraveling. He glanced at the kitchen counter, noticing a note resting next to a plate of eggs.

He picked up the note and scanned the large, loopy letters:

 _"These are probably cold now. Good thing you're proficient in using the microwave. Also, I fed the dogs eggs. Pakkun says they make his coat shinier. -Love, Sakura"_

And with every reheated, radiated bite that followed, Kakashi was more and more convinced that he'd willingly eat anything Sakura made for the rest of his life.

* * *

 **A/N:**

1\. Hop aboard the feels train with me. He finally admitted it!

2\. I live for the fact that Gai can't remember faces or names very well. 10/10 personality flaw. I had to put it in this chapter because its so funny.

3\. Everything inside of me wishes that Obito and Rin were still around. I understand why they died and its significance in shaping Kakashi as a person, but still... My heart hurts for all of them; they deserved so much better!

4\. Hope you guys enjoyed! :) Please don't hesitate to tell me what you think!


	12. The Seed She Planted

**Quick Info~**

Back from the mini Holiday-induced hiatus! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, too. Now that I'm back, I actually decided that this story deserves little bit more plot (aside from the main romance) to spice things up a little bit more. Also, when I originally outlined and wrote the first draft, the episode where we visually see when Kakashi becomes Hokage in the timeline wasn't out yet. Now that is has been released, I had to use some of it in order to sort of, kind of make the story comply with canon (since literally everything else in this fic is so _not_ canon).

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Sakura realizes some important things regarding Kakashi...there's badass sparring...and the position of Rokudaime is pending to be filled. ;) Enjoy!

* * *

"I understand you comprehend the gravity of the situation you've found yourself in?" Tsunade asked.

She looked tired. The wrinkles she tried so desperately to hide at the expense of her own chakra were showing, creasing together in thin lines between her eyebrows. Her fingers were towered in a steeple on the desk and her eyes were closed, as if not looking at him would somehow make the situation any easier.

"Yes," Kakashi said calmly. "I'm sorry to have troubled you this way, Lady Hokage."

Tsunade managed a small smile. "Konoha won't be in any _real_ trouble until Naruto takes over. You know, if he wasn't so young you wouldn't need to burden yourself with becoming Hokage."

"I don't see taking care of the village as a burden. However, the paperwork and handling foreign affairs is another story entirely," Kakashi admitted, smiling sheepishly.

He braced himself for her to whop him over the head with his book or something, but she merely let out a quiet chuckle.

"You'll get used to it," she said. "Now, it'll take some time to talk to the elders and secure the proper documents before we can inaugurate you, so please try not to do anything _stupid_ to put your position in jeopardy."

"Stupid?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Hardly."

Tsunade scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze dropping to his left hand holding his tattered copy _Icha Icha: Paradise_. "You can start by throwing away Jiraiya's porn collection."

* * *

"I've been waiting for you!" Sakura sang.

She turned the corner to find Kakashi standing in the doorway, mouth agape at her appearance. It had been a hot day in the operation room, so Sakura had taken to putting her hair up in a ponytail. She must've conveniently forgotten to return to her Jonin attire, as she was simply sporting a tight, white crop top and an old pair of Kakashi's sweatpants.

"I thought you were at work?" Kakashi asked, clearing his throat and attempting to tear his eyes away from the finely toned lines on her stomach.

"Tsunade let me off early. Since I hardly get any time off work, I figured we could put it to good use? After all, my birthday is tomorrow and I've still got so much to learn!"

Kakashi felt a low, primitive growl building up in his throat, but he quickly swallowed it. Tsunade's words were ringing in the back of his mind like an alarm, shrill and constant and not the least bit sexy. Was doing _Sakura_ doing something stupid? Kakashi wanted to will himself to believe that it wasn't the case, but he couldn't. She was his former student and no matter how old they got, that fact would never change. If it were wrong for Jonin Kakashi to fuck his former student, then it would be damn near a criminal offense for Hokage Kakashi to do it.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, her alluring expression quickly fading into one of worry.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, just fine," Kakashi said.

Sakura glanced down at her outfit, suddenly feeling oddly self-conscious.

"I can leave if you want," she said. "I know how annoying it is to have someone show up in your home unannounced."

Kakashi wanted to laugh in spite of himself. Here she was trying to do something nice for him and _she_ was the one apologizing for it. If Obito and Rin were there, they would've both slapped him upside the head. But after they scolded him, they would've practically pushed him on her.

He believed that no woman in her right mind would ever want to be with him for longer than a night or two. And here Sakura was, a beautifully brilliant woman, waiting for him. If the elders and Tsunade couldn't understand what it was like to be in love, then maybe Kakashi was fine with forgoing the Hokage position anyway.

"Don't leave," he said, his voice surprisingly more commanding than he had expected.

Sakura turned around, glancing at him in a way that made her eyelashes look even longer and fuller than they usually did. He felt his stomach drop.

She didn't respond, deciding instead to simply hold out her palm and reign in her finger in a 'come hither' motion. The growl in Kakashi's throat was back after that, and not even the Sage of Six Paths' power could stop it from rumbling out.

* * *

"I can't believe this is going to be over tomorrow," Sakura whispered, tracing tiny circles around on his open palm with her finger.

They were lying on his bed with the sheets tossed aside, staring up at the ceiling. Sakura's creamy skin was still completely exposed, but the sharp edge of arousal had long faded away from Kakashi's mind. Looking at her in the daylight so casually naked in front of him made his heart ache.

He hadn't gotten the courage to tell her how he felt. Not yet. Probably not ever at this point. After all, their lessons were nothing more than simply that. One last hoorah before she didn't need him for anything anymore.

"Going to miss your old sensei?" Kakashi asked gruffly, his throat hoarse from their loud activities prior.

Sakura giggled. "I don't know about that. But I will definitely miss _this_." She gestured to everything in the general vicinity.

The bed, the way their feet were locked together, his hand rubbing up and down her arm gently. And the invisible way that he made her stomach clench in all the right places and her heart flutter like someone had set an entire cage of butterflies loose inside of her at once and—

" _Ouch,_ " Kakashi teased.

"I'll still get to see you every day," Sakura continued, quickly rectifying the situation before adding, "But I suppose I'll miss certain _parts_ about you."

He felt her hand curl around his manhood and he twitched. Groaning, he turned over and buried his face in the pillow, cursing himself for letting her get to him so bad.

"Too much?" Sakura asked.

"Not enough," Kakashi said, his words almost completely muffled by flat fabric.

Sakura allowed herself a small smile at this. Kakashi was always blunt, but he was never overly giving when it came to his feelings. For a long time, Sakura wondered if he even had any to begin with.

"Well we can't spend all day in bed like this!" Sakura said after a long pause. "Naruto wanted to head to the training grounds to practice today and I promised I'd go with him."

"Have fun," Kakashi said, waving his hand in the air as his face remained firmly pressed into the pillow.

Sakura frowned. "You're not staying in bed all day like a lazy lump! Besides, someone needs to be there to keep Naruto in check when _I_ win."

Kakashi chuckled and sat up, reaching for his mask on the nightstand. " _Fine_. But only because you're my favorite former student."

"Wonder how many times you're going to use that to pretend you don't actually love being around me?" Sakura teased.

Kakashi laughed along with her, wondering all the while if she knew just how complicated her question really was.

* * *

"If you keep using shadow clones like that you're going to exhaust all of your chakra!" Sakura yelled as she lunged forward at the Naruto Uzumaki barrage, punching each into a smoky oblivion one by one.

She knew she had made contact with the real one when a loud 'oof!' and the subsequent sound of her knuckles all cracking at once ripped through the air. She sent Naruto flying into the hard cement ring separating the audience from the contestants. But he was far quicker than her fists, and he maneuvered his feet to smack against the wall and propel the rest of his body forward like a speeding bullet.

Sakura jumped, channeling chakra into her fist and pounding the ground beneath her. Chunks of earth sprang up from their previously undisturbed smoothness, creating a jagged line that piled up towards Naruto. It threw him off balance, sending him barreling sideways like a meteorite crashing into the ground.

"And if you keep punching the dirt like that you're going to fall through the bottom of the planet!" Naruto shot back, furiously scrubbing debris from his eyes.

Kakashi shook his head and shifted his weight from his left leg to his right. While he would've been able to drown out their childish bickering by reading Icha Icha in the past, the book was hardly distracting him the way it ought to have presently. In fact, it took nearly all of his concentration just to get to the bottom of one page and realize he hadn't retained any of it. (Although, to be fair, Kakashi did already have a fair portion of each book memorized.)

"You're not going to make me step in, are you?" Kakashi asked lamely.

Sakura and Naruto both shot him glares of disapproval.

"We're not children anymore," Sakura said.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei! Besides, if you were actually paying attention you would've seen that Sakura cheated in the first place," Naruto added.

"Cheated?!" Sakura's guffaw was high-pitched and intense and so totally _her_ that Kakashi had to stifle his laughter.

"Just because you can't dodge her, doesn't mean she cheated, Naruto," Kakashi said, sighing and setting his book on the ground.

"Oh yeah? Well let's see if you can do better, old man!"

Kakashi straightened, stretched, and casually flicked up his forehead protector. Naruto was about to protest, but he knew that Sakura would only remind him that he was using his own prowess through Sage mode and that was basically the same thing as Kakashi using both eyes, so he piped down.

"Alright, do exactly what you did to Naruto," Kakashi instructed.

Sakura nodded, jumping up and smacking the ground with as much intensity as she could muster. Kakashi was already running towards her, determination creasing his brow as his eyes locked onto hers.

She felt as though she were watching the earth move in slow motion. The rocks rippled towards Kakashi at a snail's pace and Sakura's breath caught in her throat as she watched him step over each fragmented piece with gentle, precise hops.

And then before she had time to blink, he was in front of her, towering over her and shooting Naruto a smug glance.

"You didn't have to go easier on me, you know," Kakashi whispered so that Naruto couldn't hear.

Sakura grinned slyly. "How else are we supposed to get his ego to shrink a little?"

Naruto was raging in the corner, complaining about how he 'should've just started off using Tailed Beast mode' and 'Kurama, stop laughing! You know how damn strong she is'.

Kakashi and Sakura laughed in unison, and when she looked back up at him she felt her heart leap into her throat. It seemed like he fit seamlessly into every crevice of her life nowadays. They were a team, in a larger sense than simply working together on missions.

"Kakashi…" Sakura started.

"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow and she felt her stomach leap into her throat again.

She had to look away from him. She couldn't say it. She couldn't even _think_ it. The feeling was so strong, like it had been quietly bubbling away underneath the surface for longer than she realized. And looking at him now that she had realized it was like she was purposefully fanning the flames of the feeling.

"I just remembered something came up," she said, frowning. "Can we finish this later?"

Kakashi eyed her skeptically, but nodded.

So Sakura took off running as soon as she was out of Kakashi and Naruto's line of sight. She didn't know where she was going but she figured that it didn't really matter. She just knew that her chest felt like it was going to explode if she didn't get out of there fast enough. Away from the feeling, as if severing her proximity to Kakashi would make all of those emotions stay with him.

She had to clear her head. She had to talk to the most sensible person she knew about this sort of thing. The only person who was able to talk some sense back into her after Sasuke left her heartbroken.

"I can't help you," Ino said.

"Why not?" Sakura asked, her hands on her knees as she panted in the doorway to the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

She ran as fast as she could and all Ino could tell her was that she wasn't able to help her? Sakura clenched her hands into fists on her knees, nails biting into her palms hard enough to tear the skin.

"Because," Ino said, a smile as bright as the yellow sunflower petals she was tending to, "you're actually in love this time."


	13. Happy Birthday, Sakura

**Quick Info~**

There are over 200 of you following this! Thank you so much for helping our little story reach this point! :) Kakashi hugs for everyone! I've been doing a lot of original work for Uni recently, hence the lack of updates. However, it's the weekend again and thankfully I had some free time before work to finally edit this chapter. I've been working a lot on improving some of the, err, _steamier_ moments, so hopefully that pays off this chapter ;) *wink wink*

Thanks again for checking this out!

Warning: explicit language and themes (rated M for a reason!), cliche verbalization of love to sleeping significant other, lots of Kakashi feels (some mentions of filler arcs in Shippuden), Ino and Sakura being best friends and just badass ladies in general, mentions of SaixIno

* * *

"That's absurd!" Sakura exclaimed for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

She was clutching a cup of tea in between in her palms and staring at Ino like she was some sort of extraterrestrial being. Ino simply sighed and leaned back in her chair, wondering how on earth she had to explain something as simple as love to someone as lovesick as Sakura. Sure, they both liked Sasuke, but even back then Sakura was on a whole different level.

"Is it? Think about it, Sakura," Ino explained calmly. "You can't stop thinking about him. Even the _idea_ of Kakashi ending your relationship after your birthday is scaring you! That has to suggest that you're in love with him."

"What if it's just lust?" Sakura pouted, but the way that her heart beat in protest immediately suggested otherwise.

Ino shrugged. "It could be. Who am I to judge? All I'm saying is that you're acting an awful lot like I did when I first realized I was in love with Sai. _Sai,_ of all people. I avoided him like he was the plague when I first figured it out."

"I'm not _avoiding_ Kakashi," Sakura said.

"Sure, and the blinds you forced me to close in the shop is just because you're allergic to sunlight," Ino scoffed.

"Even if I was in love with him, we couldn't be together anyway," Sakura said, skillfully dodging Ino's jab.

"Why not?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because he used to be my _teacher_. People are going to assume that he seduced me when I was younger or something."

"Anyone that knows you would be able to shoot that rumor down. You didn't even think about anyone else except Sasuke," Ino offered.

"You know how rumors work, though," Sakura said.

"But at the end of the day, does it really matter? I'd never be with Sai if I listened to everyone who thought he was an emotionless, tactless buffoon. I mean, they were right to some extent, but it's more endearing since I discovered it myself."

The way that Ino was smiling made Sakura's heart clench. There was so much adoration in her eyes that the excess was practically pouring out of her ears. And she realized that she was feeling the same way that Ino looked. Kakashi was indeed a buffoon, albeit different than Sai's buffoonery, but Sakura supposed that his aloof awkwardness was one of the reasons why she loved him so much. He drove her crazy in all of the best ways. He left her hanging just so, leaving her mind and her body and her heart always craving more of him. And she was sure that if he let her, it'd be like that forever.

So Sakura paused for a moment. One long, singular pause that seemed as if she was able to stretch time thin enough to expand into several longer moments. She then parted her lips, leaving barely enough room to utter what her heart had been feeling for apparently quite some time.

"I'm in love with Kakashi," Sakura breathed.

Ino smiled again.

"I really am…"

"Don't get so sentimental on me, Forehead," Ino said, shaking her head as she playfully pushed Sakura back.

Sakura laughed and stuck her tongue out in response. "Like I'd ever be dumb enough to do that around you anyway, Pig."

"I'm happy for you, though," Ino said, suddenly enveloping Sakura in a hug. "After everything you've been through, you deserve a little break of happiness."

"So do you," Sakura said, clutching Ino just as tightly as Ino was clutching her.

Ino puffed out a breath of air as soon as they released each other. "So are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know. I'm probably going to see him later tonight. I guess I'll just play it by ear," Sakura said, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.

What if Kakashi knew exactly what she was feeling? What if he was just planning on cutting off the remainder of their lessons in order to spare her from the awful break that was inevitably coming? Or worse, what if he was actually in love with her, too?

"Hey, don't be such a sourpuss," Ino said. "It's love, not a disease."

"What if Kakashi—"

"What if Kakashi _what_ now?"

His familiar, smooth tenor suddenly invaded every crevice of her mind. If Ino didn't look so surprised, Sakura would've assumed she had finally gone insane and was only hearing Kakashi's voice inside of her head. But she was still sane—as sane as any person in love with their old teacher could be—and Kakashi's form was slowly coming into view as the smoke from the teleportation jutsu began clearing.

He was holding a bouquet of classic red roses in his hand with the same lackadaisical expression on his face as usual.

"The curtains were closed but the 'open' sign on the front door says otherwise," Kakashi explained as Ino attempted to close her shocked, open mouth.

"Since when do you give excuses when you barge in somewhere?" Sakura asked.

"Hmm," Kakashi started, a teasing lilt already thick in his tone. "It's not exactly the 'thank you for the flowers' that I was expecting, but I suppose I wasn't the best at passing on good manners to my pupils."

Sakura tried sucking on the inside of her cheek to avoid grinning at him, but the smile creeping up onto her lips was too strong of a competitor. Kakashi's responding smirk made Sakura want to punch him and kiss him all at the same time.

He then took the opportunity to thrust the flowers into Sakura's arms rather awkwardly. She decided in that moment that despite his experience in the bedroom, he had never gone on a proper date before.

"Gai told me that you can never go wrong with roses," Kakashi mumbled.

"Taking advice from Gai-sensei? Who are you and what have you done with Kakashi?" Sakura asked, sticking her face into the thick of the bouquet and inhaling slowly.

They smelled nice. Like roses typically do, of course, but with the faintest undertones of Kakashi's laundry detergent and earthy cologne.

"I thought it'd be nice if I finally paid you back for all of those meals I skipped out on. You know, as a birthday present," Kakashi said.

"Are you planning on paying me back for those flowers?" Ino raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest, gesturing towards the obviously empty bucket of roses near the front door.

Sakura giggled as the faintest hint of pink tinted Kakashi's cheeks. Perhaps the roses hadn't been Gai's idea after all?

"I'll convince him for you," Sakura said, waving away Ino's concern with a simple flick of her wrist.

"Yeah, I'd count on it, Forehead. Especially since I'm keeping this secret for you," Ino said.

As Kakashi and Sakura were headed out the door, he turned his head to the side and said smugly, "Now what's so wrong with an old teacher giving his ex-student a birthday present?"

"It's more about the birthday _suit_ you two will be wearing later than the present right now," Ino muttered.

"Innocent until proven guilty!" Sakura called as the door closed behind them.

She'd convince Kakashi to pay Ino back one way or another. As of late, Sakura was sure that she could convince Kakashi of almost anything if she really wanted to. And he knew it too, as he was already rifling through his wallet to see how much change he still had.

"So where are we going?" Sakura asked.

"It's a surprise," Kakashi said simply.

Sakura huffed but didn't argue. It was no use trying to figure it out. Besides, she rather liked surprises when they weren't things like Sasuke leaving the village or Madara coming back from the dead or the entire Hidden Leaf Village getting destroyed by Pein or Sasuke leaving the village _again_. Birthday surprises, evidently, usually didn't fall into any of those categories unless you were someone like Naruto.

Kakashi and Sakura walked in comfortable silence for a while. She was content to follow his lead and he was content to keep her in suspense. It was strange, she thought, that she felt like she should be holding his hand. Her fingers felt almost empty, and every time she brushed them casually against Kakashi's, it was like getting warm again after spending the day in the snow.

"I would have tried to make it fancier," Kakashi explained as he began to turn the key in the lock to his apartment. "But this wasn't supposed to look like a date, right?"

"Knowing you, any effort is fancy enough," Sakura teased lightly, trying to swallow the sudden swarm of butterflies leaping into her throat.

When Kakashi opened the door, Sakura could do little to hide her surprised gasp. It was almost like she was looking at a completely different place. The furniture had been moved around in the living room to make space for a kotatsu. There were two plates of freshly seared fish on a bed of wild rice placed on either side of the kotatsu. Glasses of sparkling champagne and a singular candle completed the set up.

"You did all of this for me?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Of course. After all, I always did say that you were my favorite."

"Did you cook this yourself?" Sakura asked as soon as they sat underneath the kotatsu.

Even though it was the middle of spring, hints of the cold winter air still lingered around whenever the sun went down. Sakura was grateful for the chance to warm her feet underneath the worn, gray sheets.

"I did," Kakashi said, sipping the champagne and trying not to make a face as he swallowed.

He was never big on the drink. Shots were one thing, as they went down quickly, but prolonged alcoholic beverages were tiresome. How could someone pretend to enjoy something so awful for so long? Sakura seemed to disagree, as she nearly emptied her glass in a few gulps.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed, her green eyes widening in that adorable way that made Kakashi's stomach turn.

"I'm glad you think so," he said, smiling brightly at her.

It had been awhile since he was able to cook for anyone. Too long, in fact. After his father died, he tried to keep up with the routine of making dinner every night. It kept him busy in his lonely childhood home. And when Obito and Rin started visiting for dinner, it gave him even more of a reason to learn new dishes. But Rin and Obito were gone, and along with them went any desire Kakashi had to keep things the way they used to be. How could he, when things were anything but?

"Sorry about Ino, by the way," Sakura said, suddenly sheepish as her gaze dropped to her plate.

"What is there to be sorry for?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow as he polished off the rest of his champagne.

The blush that had been slowly creeping onto Sakura's cheeks was burning at full levels of intensity. What was she supposed to say? Blatantly apologizing to him about telling Ino about their sex life would be awkward no matter what way she chose to spin it.

"About her assuming you and I are… _involved,_ " Sakura mumbled, making sure that her eyes stayed glued to her plate as if her life depended on it.

Kakashi chuckled. "Sakura, I told you before you could tell anyone you wanted to. This isn't just my secret to keep."

"Yeah, but she's so blunt about it," Sakura said dryly, rolling her eyes.

"Perhaps," Kakashi said, grimacing as he thought of a similarly blunt, green onesie-wearing Jonin. "But was she wrong?"

"Wrong about what?"

Kakashi quirked a smile, his eyes narrowing just enough to send a shiver down Sakura's spine.

"About the activities she thought we were going to get up to later," he said as if it was simplest statement in the world.

"Oh!" Sakura squeaked. "Well, shouldn't we think about dessert first?"

"I am," Kakashi said.

In an instant, he was hovering over her, mask pushed down and hungry kisses making their way down her neck. She was already gripping at his back, marveling at how such simple actions could get such a rise out of her so quickly. Despite the obvious need on his lips, he was going slow. _Painfully_ slow. As if he was spending every kiss memorizing the inches of her skin.

"I'd take this over chocolate cake any day," Sakura cooed, arching her back and tangling her fingers in his hair.

Kakashi pulled away and eyed her curiously.

She sighed, lifting one leg to push his chest back playfully with her toes. "Fine _,_ maybe not _chocolate_ cake," she corrected.

He nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer, and spread her legs apart with his palms. Sakura wanted to melt into the floor at his touch as she tried to keep her hips from anxiously moving towards him. If this really was going to be the last night of their lessons, she wanted to savor every moment of it.

Kakashi must have felt the same way, as he was still insisting on going as slow as he could possibly manage. He massaged her clit with such measured, lingering strokes that it was almost painful how much she ached for him to go faster.

"A noise like that could make the strongest man weak in the knees," Kakashi commented as Sakura let out the most helpless, breathy whimper.

"Looks like I took him down, then," Sakura said, tracing her fingers along the side of his body in order to grasp his hardened length straining against his pants.

Kakashi groaned, hardly managing to contain the sound. He had never been quite vocal, other than the occasional pant or grunt, but tonight Sakura had invaded every crevice of his being, and he had decided—rather unwittingly at first—to allow himself to fully _feel_ what it was like to be with her.

Sakura's hand fumbled blindly for a moment, shaky fingers reaching out to grab his hand entertaining her womanhood.

"I want to cum while I'm on top," she said bluntly.

The blatant manner of which her desire was stated would be enough to make even the most perverted man blush, so when Kakashi's cheeks suddenly burned, Sakura couldn't help but feel like she had been too boisterous.

Thankfully, for Sakura's sake it didn't take Kakashi long to snap out of his flustered gaze, and he quirked a sly smile at her before sitting up.

"The floor is yours," he said evenly.

Sakura propped herself up on her elbows, watching as he began to remove the remaining layers of his clothes. Then, drawing her knees to her chest, she sat up on her heels and waited for Kakashi to lie down. He looked rather amused as she chewed her lower lip nervously, unwrapping the condom with such meticulous movements that Kakashi wondered if she had ever done it before.

Out of all of the limited sexual experiences he had, only one woman had ever chosen to be on top. Kakashi wasn't sure if it was his intimidating demeanor (despite being a perfect gentleman in the bedroom) or if the women simply weren't interested in doing much of the work. He hoped that it was the latter, as he never wanted to scare Sakura off.

But he certainly couldn't complain when she was straddling him. Her green eyes nearly glistened along with the glow of the candlelight as she stared down at him and he suddenly wished that he had let her take control more often.

"What's the matter, sensei?" Sakura asked as she eased herself onto him and he gave a strained expression. "Cat got your tongue?"

Sakura pressed down on Kakashi's hips as he tried to buck them up into her, and he swiftly bit down on his tongue to refrain from cursing.

"You were the one going too slow earlier," Sakura said crossly, her arms folded underneath her chest in a way that made her breasts perfectly perky. "It's only fair I get my turn, too."

Kakashi closed his eyes, realizing in that moment just how much he was aching for her. She had turned into quite the seductress over the last month, but Kakashi had suspected it had been inside of her all along. If only she had fallen for someone else. Someone who could actually stay with her. Someone who could appreciate her for every part of who she was, publically and forever. He supposed he felt a pang of guilt in that moment, for taking her away from someone who could've been perfect for her in ways that he never could. But he also knew that was foolish, because in his heart of hearts he knew there would never be another woman who was more perfect for him than she was. A feeling that strong had to be a two-way street, right?

Kakashi snapped out of his thoughts and was hurled back into reality as Sakura's mouth was sloppily and hungrily kissing him. He could feel the buildup of pleasure beginning to erupt in the pit of his stomach and he tangled his fingers in her hair in a pathetic attempt to steady himself.

"Why didn't…I think of this…before?" Sakura panted as she bobbed up and down, bringing his hands from her hair down to her breasts.

He cupped them generously, flicking the hardened nipples underneath his thumbs and earning a moan every time he did.

"I don't know…but don't stop now," Kakashi panted back, laying heavy kisses along every surface of her skin that he could reach.

He was the first who came that night, shuddering and jerking into her as he rode out the wave of pleasure. If Sakura wasn't so close herself, she was worried she may have laughed at how much she felt as though she were at the carnival, riding one of those bulls purposefully created to try and throw you off. But she was also flattered that she was able to make the infamously stone-cold Kakashi so completely vulnerable.

As Kakashi finished thrusting into her, her center convulsed around him and she let out a loud cry. She collapsed onto his chest, the pair both trying to catch their breath.

After a few moments of silence, Kakashi quickly realized that Sakura was far from finishing. She had been wiggling around slightly, as if she were trying to alleviate the itch of needing him.

"My room," Kakashi said, sitting up still inside her.

Sakura's eyes widened, but she nodded, and quickly wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her like that to the bedroom, thrusting into her so hard that he nearly made himself dizzy.

* * *

It was after their fourth time of making love that night that Kakashi finally had to call it quits. He wasn't sure how he had maintained his stamina for so long and he was convinced that executing Kamui was less tiring than fucking Sakura.

They were both lying on their backs with the sheets rumpled at their feet, chests rising and falling heavily and fingers barely grazing one another in the middle of the bed. It was far too hot to cuddle, and the pair was far too tired to move much.

"Sakura," Kakashi started as he glanced at the pale green alarm clock blinking 1:27 AM on the bedside table.

"Hmm?" Sakura mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

"Happy birthday," he said quietly, squeezing her hand with his own.

"Happy birthday to you, too," Sakura said, rolling over to give him a hug as she let out a yawn.

Kakashi chuckled and embraced her, planting a kiss gently in the middle of her forehead.

"Sakura?" Kakashi asked again after a moment.

He was met with a soft snoring sound in response. He was sure that the sudden feeling he had was going to bubble over if he didn't say it sometime soon. His tell-it-like-it-is personality was getting in the way too much recently, and he could practically feel his heart aching the longer he went without telling her.

"I love you…"

So in the dead of night, he whispered it to her sleeping form. Because telling her when she couldn't hear was infinitely better than not telling her at all. And he whispered it again, lips brushing against her forehead, hoping that somehow they could permeate her subconscious thoughts.


	14. The Scarecrow and the Cherry Blossom

**Quick Info~**

Updating randomly on a Tuesday because life is crazy busy! Hopefully this update will be a little blip of happiness for the start of your week. :) I live for the Konoha Eleven (Konoha Nine? I guess if we're including Team Gai, it's Eleven) and all of their antics. The new Shippuden episodes are full of them and they are seriously hilarious. Also, before everyone is wondering why Kakashi hasn't told Sakura about being considered for the Hokage position, it's simple. I think that it would suit his character better to sort of keep it on the down low until he knew it was a for sure thing, so as not to worry anyone (especially Sakura, in this situation). He's also in love with her and wading through those feelings is pretty complicated for someone who has lost every single person they ever loved.

Thanks again for all of the support! I'll thank you guys every chapter, even if it seems redundant because that's how much I appreciate your kind words and love.

Warning: silly bonding, overused Cherry Blossom/Scarecrow trope, oblivious!Sai, and feels (the good kind, I hope).

* * *

"Alright, Forehead, pay up," Ino said, extending her palm and curling her fingers towards herself as if she were waiting for Sakura to slap some cash into it.

Sakura was plopped cross-legged amidst a pile of brightly wrapped birthday presents. Her friends decided to throw her a birthday party as soon as she got back from work that afternoon. Thankfully she hadn't requested the day off despite Shizune's poking and prodding, otherwise her friends would have realized that she wasn't exactly sleeping in her own bed when they came to her house that morning. Having a party later in the afternoon definitely suited the circumstance much better.

"Why would you ask her to pay you on her own birthday?" Sai asked gently. "I assumed the point of birthdays was for that individual to receive gifts."

Ino smiled sweetly at Sai, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You're right, for all intents and purposes, sweetheart. But Sakura made a bet with me and her time is up today."

"You're really going to do this here?" Sakura asked, rolling her eyes as she attempted to nonchalantly massage her thighs.

She hadn't realized how sore she was until she was running through the hallways of the ICU. Perhaps she shouldn't have taken Kakashi up on his request for her to throw her legs over his shoulders during their third time the night prior? She'd get back at him later…if there ever would be a "later."

"Go ahead and open your presents first," Ino mumbled, trying to deflect the pairs of curious eyes suddenly darting between them.

"This one is from Tenten and Lee," Sakura said, picking up a watermelon green package and reading the tag.

"The wrapping paper was made specifically by the man who created my and Gai-sensei's splendid jumpsuits!" Lee explained enthusiastically, giving Sakura a huge thumbs up.

"I picked out the gift. Don't worry," Tenten said as Sakura eyed the package apprehensively.

Inside the box was a beautiful set of pink kunai in varying sizes, each with cherry blossoms hand-painted in a circle around the handle.

"These are beautiful!" Sakura exclaimed, clutching the box to her chest. "Thank you guys!"

"You can use them for fighting if you want to, but they also work just as well as decoration for your lovely apartment," Lee said.

"You guys are amazing," Sakura said.

As the day wore on, the gift pile began to deplete. Sakura had gotten a box of individually wrapped Ichiraku ramen packets and an old, candid picture of Team Seven from Naruto, a beautiful white with kimono with red trim from Hinata (as she explained, rather flustered, that it was something new for Sakura to wear to parties), a book about new medical developments in Suna from Shikamaru and Temari (signed and approved by the Kazekage himself), an insect exhibit case featuring beautiful Morpho butterflies from Shino, and a gift certificate to her favorite restaurant from Kiba and Choji (which she "totally didn't have to feel obligated to take them to, although it would be nice").

"Sai and I got you a present, but we didn't wrap it because he said it could ruin it," Ino said as Sakura began bagging up the remains of the wrapping paper.

Sai started unraveling the scroll he was holding until Sakura let out an audible gasp at its reveal. It was one of the only colored pictures she had ever seen Sai paint, and despite the fact that all of his works were skillfully beautiful, she couldn't help but feel her heart leap when she saw it.

He had painted a beautiful cherry tree in bloom, with petals as pink as Sakura's hair twirling towards the ground. The ground was made up of a field, with stalks of grass shooting up towards the sky at varying heights. But what really took her breath away was the staunch figure smack-dab in the middle of the painting. The petals landed around the base of a Scarecrow, resting along his worn-out plaid shoulders and the top of his straw hat. In the Scarecrow's hand was a single sunflower, as yellow and vibrant as the cherry blossoms were pink and subtle.

"Do you like it?" Sai asked.

"I love it," Sakura answered, nearly breathless.

"I didn't realize you had such an affinity for Scarecrows, but Ino insisted," Sai continued. "I did take some artist liberties, though. A Scarecrow with a mask on seems a little bit redundant even though Ino—"

Ino cupped one hand over Sai's mouth, laughing to try and fill the spaces of his unfinished sentence. "What do I know? I'm not an artist," she said, waving away the stingingly awkward silence in the air with her hand.

"Thank you," Sakura mouthed to Ino.

"You're welcome. So it looks like I'll be the one treating you to a victory dinner later, then?" Ino asked.

"Looks like it, Pig," Sakura answered, still clutching the painting to her heart.

"Hey, Sakura," Naruto started. "Did you know that Kakashi-sensei's name means 'Scarecrow'?"

Sakura felt her cheeks suddenly inflame. "Does it? I…never realized."

"Yeah!" Naruto continued eagerly. "If you hang that up in your house, he's gonna think you're in love with him or something."

Sakura turned to face him almost mechanically. If it were anyone but Naruto, it would have been easy to spot that Sakura's temper was slowly beginning to boil over. She was smiling, although her teeth were pressed so hard against each other that it was a miracle they didn't shatter from the pressure. And she was staring at him like she was about bash one of the empty gift boxes over his head.

"Now where would you get an idea like that?" Sakura asked, her voice nearly sickeningly sweet.

Naruto scratched the back of his neck as his eyes searched the ceiling for a response. "Just cause you're like the cherry blossoms and they're falling on him, meaning you're falling for him, ya know?"

A split second was all it took for Naruto's head to be sticking out of the backside of a gift box.

"What was that for?!" he cried.

"Being so stupid," Sakura said, crossing her arms over her chest and huffing.

"Maybe you should leave the art interpretation to Sai," Shikamaru said, chewing on the end of a toothpick with his eyes closed.

Sakura had been so focused on the painting and Naruto's shenanigans that she nearly forgot the others were still present.

"Yeah!" Choji agreed. "With the way Sakura's blushing, it looks like she's almost a juicy, ripe tomato."

Sakura clamped her hands over her cheeks, knowing that doing so would only make her look guiltier but being unable to stop it all the while. She wanted to crawl into a hole and die. If her friends hadn't figured it out by now, they would certainly be close. She wouldn't be surprised if someone as strategic and genius as Shikamaru hadn't known for weeks.

"Do you have feelings for Kakashi-sensei, Sakura?" Lee asked, cocking his head to the side in such an innocent way that Sakura almost felt bad for wanting to wallop him.

 _Almost_ being the key word.

She could have just pretended not to hear Lee and change the conversation, but the horrified look plastered on her face was making that impossible. She could see Ino was mentally trying to scramble for an excuse for her, but her friends' curious, hungry eyes were already waiting for an answer.

"I mean…he's my old sensei. Of course we have feelings for each other," Sakura murmured.

"Yeah, but are they romantic?" Kiba asked, leaning forward from his lazy position on the couch as he crossed one leg over his knee.

"Romantic?" Sakura squeaked.

"Do you _loooooove_ him?" Naruto teased, batting his eyelashes and roaring with laughter along with Kiba.

Sakura felt so hot she was worried she might faint. The room began to fade in and out of focus, and she felt as if she were a little girl again, stuck going way too fast on a merry-go-round as the other kids incessantly pushed it despite her asking them to stop.

"Well, looks like we've had quite a bit of excitement here," Kakashi said, his voice the only thing able to penetrate the panic starting to seep into every crevice of Sakura's body.

Naruto and Kiba immediately stopped laughing, their eyes growing wide and apologetic. Ino looked like she was ready to stand and cheer, as if she were watching one of her favorite cheesy movies where the heroic prince saves the day. The rest of the group ranged from being completely uninterested (cue Shikamaru) and anxiously awaiting some sort of reaction from Kakashi or Sakura, or both.

"Kakashi-sensei! When did you get here?" Naruto asked sheepishly.

"Oh, not too long ago," Kakashi said, glancing at his wrist despite the fact that he was not wearing a watch.

"I'm sorry about all of the things we were saying, Kakashi-sensei," Lee said, bowing his head apologetically. "We did not mean them."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow but didn't question Lee. After all, he was Gai's student, and Gai's weirdness had a tendency to be contagious.

"I actually stopped by because Tsunade was looking for you, Sakura," Kakashi said.

"Oh. Okay, umm, I'll go grab my coat," Sakura said, clearly grateful for the sudden break in conversation.

When Sakura stood, she set the painting delicately on the coffee table. Kakashi glanced at it, felt his heart squeeze as it did whenever he thought about his relationship with Sakura, and then eyed Sai and Ino as nonchalantly as he could. The art was quite good, as usual. Not exactly subtle, but not so noticeable as to give anything away. He'd have to find a way to thank them later.

When Sakura reemerged, she was wearing a white shawl, draped delicately over her shoulders. Kakashi felt the corner of his lips tug, and if he wasn't already set in his decision, he was even more convinced of what he had to do.

"Thank you again for all of the gifts," Sakura said, giving all of her friends a hug.

Kakashi escorted her out of her house and down the pathway towards Hokage Tower for a while. He glanced backwards occasionally, waiting to see if the rest of the group had finally petered out, before placing his hand on the small of her back and steering her off of the path.

They walked in comfortable silence for a while, through droves of blooming trees along the outskirts of the village. Sakura almost felt as if she were walking through one giant flower. Kakashi's fingers brushed against hers gently, the roughness of his gloves sending shivers up her arm. She laced her fingers with his and glanced up at him, as if she were waiting for him to pull away.

When he didn't, they continued to walk hand in hand until Kakashi came to a gradual stop.

"Did you have a good birthday?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets and staring out into the open woods.

"It was something, that's for sure," Sakura said, cringing as she remembered her friends hounding her about him.

"Is it true?" Kakashi asked, his eyes locking onto hers.

"Is what true?" Sakura asked.

"Do you _loooove_ me?" Kakashi asked bluntly.

Sakura felt her cheeks instantly burn again. She pushed his shoulder with the heel of her palm playfully. "Don't be obtuse," she said crossly; although, the faintest hint of a grin on her lips wasn't helping her attempt to sound irritated.

"Naruto's really got to work on his volume levels if he's going to be Hokage soon. I'm pretty sure Gaara could hear him as clear as day all the way in Suna," Kakashi said.

Sakura giggled. "I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Ah, looks like we're on the same page."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Oh! Well then, you go first."

She wondered if he could hear how loudly her heart was beating against her ribcage. He wondered if she could hear just how out of rhythm his was beating back. A few flower petals landed on his flack jacket and she reached up to brush them off.

Kakashi wasn't sure what to say. He had never been the best with words. And if her touch merely sent him back inside of his own head, then there was no way he was going to be able to tell her exactly how he was feeling. So before she could pull away, he grabbed her wrist and stepped forward.

His lips brushed against hers softly, much more tentative and soft than any of their prior kisses. Sakura grasped onto the front of his jacket with her free hand, her fingers balling into a fist as she pulled him closer, wanting him to crash into her as much as she had fallen for him.

"I don't want this to end," Kakashi murmured in between kisses.

He waited with bated breath for her response, hoping that she would be able to understand what he meant. She always had the uncanny ability to know what he was thinking, even if he didn't say much.

"Me either," Sakura whispered back.

Kakashi sighed, resting his forehead against hers. "I'm glad to hear you say that."

"So what now?" Sakura asked.

"What do you think?"

Sakura moved to rest her head on his chest, her eyes fluttering closed as he ran his fingers absently through her hair. _God_ she loved him so much. But it was still so new, and there would be time to say it later.

"We could take it public," she suggested. "If the guys were already hounding me about you, they couldn't be that opposed to it. And the other villagers will warm up to the idea eventually. My parents already know you and they obviously approved enough to let us go on long missions together."

Kakashi chuckled, wanting so badly to agree with her but knowing that he couldn't. Tsunade's words of warning were ringing like an irritating alarm clock in the back of his mind. If Tsunade was serious about him becoming the next Hokage, he couldn't jeopardize the pending position. But he couldn't let Sakura go, either.

It was the biggest of moral dilemmas he had ever had the challenge of facing. He almost wanted to laugh at his younger self for being so conflicted over saving Rin all of those years ago. That paled in comparison to being in love with Sakura and wanting to appease the Village Elders simultaneously.

"Let's take it slow, alright?" he asked, brushing his lips against her forehead.

She looked up at him, her eyes dazzling mischievously. "Get lost on the path of life for awhile?"

Kakashi smiled, pulling her close once again. "Something like that."


	15. The Mission at Hana Misora

**Quick Info~**

The plot thickens! I guess that's all I'll say about this chapter in order to leave you in suspense. ;)

I've been wanting to change my Author Notes to be at the bottom of each chapter instead of the top, but we're already fifteen chapters into it and I don't want to change the format now... Anyway, this was my favorite chapter to write thus far. It's humorous, has lots of heart, and gave me a reason to write for Naruto himself again (he's surprisingly one of my favorite characters in the series. I usually don't go for the whole hyperactive thing, but he's too cute). Excuse yet another Shikamaru appearance; I love him a lot, too.

Some technical stuff: Hana Misora roughly translates to "beautiful flower sky," which I guess is a weird name for a restaurant but I wanted to stick with the recurring flower motif. Also I don't speak a lick of Japanese, so this could be completely off and I apologize in advance if I absolutely butchered the name.

Thanks again for reading guys! You're fantastic. Twenty Kakashi hugs for each of you :D

* * *

Kakashi wasn't one for a rousing game of playing cat and mouse, yet he had all too willingly agreed to do so the second that Sakura asked for it. He wasn't sure how they were going to pull off dating in secret, especially since the Village Elders were supposedly watching his every move and he had yet to tell anyone—including Sakura, _especially_ Sakura—about becoming the Rokudaime. But he supposed as soon as he saw her that he didn't really care about breaking this particular rule.

After all, dating Sakura came with more than a few perks. She had taken on many of the duties that Kakashi seemed to have forgotten were important. She would bring him lunch on the days that he forgot to eat anything, with little notes taped to the inside of the brown paper bag. He also didn't have to worry about neglecting any of the ninken—if that were even possible in the first place—as Sakura became the third and fourth hands needed to finally take them all for walks with ease.

And of course, there were all of the physical benefits, too. Kakashi definitely couldn't complain about that, even if he did wake up in the morning sore in new spots he didn't even know could be sore. It became a rather comical inside joke between the pair. Sakura was walking funny? You'd better believe that Kakashi was there to wink and whisper lewd things in her ear. Kakashi couldn't bend over to pick up the pen he dropped because his legs were sore from holding her up all night? You'd better believe that Sakura would bend over and pick it up _just so_ for him to get the perfect view of her ass.

However, despite all of the perks, there was one thing the pair was missing out on. Kakashi didn't mind nearly as much as Sakura did, but when she sighed for the tenth time that day, he knew that something needed to change.

"Ino and Sai just look so happy together," Sakura said, her cheek slumping in her palm as she stared out of the Jonin break room window.

Kakashi looked up from his paperwork to glance out the window. Ino was tugging Sai by the hand towards a bed of flowers. He looked a little bewildered, as if he often did around her, but the smile on his face was undeniably genuine.

"You're unhappy with me," Kakashi said, and his words left no room for a question.

Sakura whipped her head around, her eyes as wide as saucers. "No! Why would you think that?"

"Because I can't give you that yet," he said, jabbing his pen towards Ino and Sai.

"Oh," Sakura said. "Well, I know we'll be able to do all of that stuff soon. I guess I didn't realize how much my childhood fantasies still influenced me. That's all."

She was smiling sweetly at him, the way that she did whenever she was putting someone else's needs before her own (which was typically quite frequently). Kakashi felt his heart pang with guilt. He needed to plan a proper date. The pair hadn't been out to dinner alone yet, and discreet double dates with Ino and Sai or going to the bar with Gai and Lee didn't really count because Kakashi and Sakura refused to even hold hands underneath the table.

"I've been meaning to tell you that I booked us reservations at Hana Misora," Kakashi said.

And although he was trying to look nonchalant, he couldn't help but stare at her expectantly. It looked as though she were weighing her options, part of her visibly ecstatic that they were finally going on a date and another part of her terrified that they were _finally_ going on a date. How would they keep it under-wraps? Could they even try? And if they couldn't, was she supposed to refuse his offer?

After a pause that seemed to last a millennium, she finally said, "That sounds…wonderful."

"Be ready by eight, then," Kakashi said, smiling at her like he expected the answer while inside his heart was hammering away with relief.

* * *

"So why can't you come to Ichiraku?" Naruto asked for the fourth time as Sakura stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom, trying to examine whether or not the tight, red dress she borrowed from Ino was too much.

It definitely took some extra padding (and extra pride swallowing) to fit into the bust area, but Sakura had decided from a very young age that red was her best color. It just seemed fitting that the first date with the man she loved happened while she was dressed to the nines in a color she loved, too.

"Because I have a very important meeting to attend to," Sakura said, tucking her hair behind her ear and deciding that she looked, well, good enough to blow Kakashi's socks right off of him—metaphorically, mind you.

"In that dress?" Naruto quirked an eyebrow.

Sakura sighed. "Yes, in this dress. Look, it isn't really any of your business how I spend my private time, is it?"

Naruto let out another groan and if Sakura wasn't already irritated she might have laughed at just how long he was able to drone on. When he was done fussing, he narrowed his eyes and poked his head into the bathroom suspiciously.

"Hey, doesn't Kakashi-sensei say that?" he asked.

Sakura flushed, nearly knocking her brand new tube of red lipstick off the counter. "Does he? You know what they say… Like ex-teacher like ex-student?"

"Who are you really going out with tonight, Sakura?" Naruto asked.

He then spread his arms and legs out in the doorframe, making sure that her exit was blocked. He had gotten so much taller than when they were children and he was practically towering over her. While Sakura knew a single punch to the gut would send him flying through the walls, she wasn't about to pay for the damages to her house or to his stomach, so she simply turned and placed her hands on her hips with a single high heel tapping against the tile impatiently.

"Naruto Uzumaki you better let me through," she warned.

"Not until you tell me! Who cares if you're going on a date anyway? It's not like I'm gonna tell anyone," he said.

Sakura sighed. " _Fine._ If you must know I'm going out with an ex-ANBU agent tonight."

Naruto's eyes widened and his arms went limp in the door just enough for Sakura to squeeze past him. "ANBU? But Sakura, they're supposed to be really dangerous!"

"Trust me on this," she said as she picked up her purse and opened the front door, "he wouldn't hurt a hair on my head. In fact, I think the two of you would get along swimmingly."

* * *

"Why did you drag me into this again?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto, Sai, and Shikamaru were hiding out in the bushes near Hana Misora. Naruto's eyes were spread open as wide as they could possibly go, red sage chakra emanating from his body despite the fact that he didn't need sage senses to see who Sakura was meeting up with.

"Isn't this an invasion of privacy?" Sai asked.

Naruto waved away his concern. "Not if we're doing this to protect her. What if she's going out with this huge hulking guy and he's got bad intentions, ya know?"

"Then I'd hate to be the one caught spying on her," Shikamaru said lamely.

"Missions need to be carried out in three-man squads. Also, I'm worried about getting bored," Naruto admitted.

"One, this isn't a mission. And two, I'm not going to hang around just to entertain you. That is such a drag," Shikamaru said, standing from their squatting position in the bushes and stuffing his hands in his pockets to leave.

"Shikamaru, wait," Naruto hissed, grabbing the back of Shikamaru's jacket and pulling him back down to the ground. "Her date just got here."

"You look stunning," Kakashi said.

"I'd say you do too, but I prefer the real you," Sakura said, eyeing his new physique.

Kakashi was known as the man of over one thousand jutsus, including of course, the prime go-to jutsu for undercover missions. But never in all of his years as a shinobi did he think that he would be using the transformation jutsu to go on a date with Sakura. Never in all of his years as a shinobi did he think he would be dating Sakura, but that was a different story.

He had gone for a more simplistic approach. A face that would easily blend into the crowd if anyone was to see them. He had to admit that looking in the mirror reminded him a bit of looking at Yamato, but he brushed the thought away so as not to creep himself out.

"Well, can you tell who it is?" Naruto asked.

Sai squinted. "He looks even plainer than Capatain Yamato. I don't think I would be able to tell you who he was even if I had seen him before."

"Why would Sakura pick someone so bland?" Naruto asked.

"It's been awhile since she's gone on a date, right? Maybe she was out of options," Shikamaru suggested.

Naruto growled, turning to Shikamaru with a clenched fist. "Sakura could date anyone she wanted just by asking, idiot!"

Shikamaru sighed, laying back on the grass with his hands behind his head. "What do you want me to say? That I think the guy she's with is just using a transformation jutsu to throw you off in case you went snooping?"

Naruto and Sai exchanged glances, as if each were contemplating the possibility of that scenario. After a moment, Sai shook his head but Naruto fervently nodded.

"You're a genius!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You think too highly of yourself," Shikamaru chided.

"I agree. Why would Sakura care if you saw who she was dating?" Sai asked.

Naruto's smile faded and a look of sheer seriousness replaced it. "Because I think she might be on a date with someone we know."

* * *

Sakura was staring at her plate, wondering what on earth all of the different silverware lining the table could be used for. Kakashi had really outdone himself. She had never pictured him to be the type of man who spent his time in overly lavish places, yet he seemed comfortable enough. Then again, he could seem comfortable having his arm sawed off so his cool demeanor didn't really prove anything.

"Too much?" Kakashi asked, picking up on her hesitancy.

"No," Sakura said quickly, shaking her head. "I guess I'm just worried about what everyone else is going to think when I use the wrong fork for the salad."

Kakashi chuckled. "Don't pay any attention to them. Besides, if they're staring at you it's only because you look beautiful."

"Still…" Sakura said, "I can't help but feel like we're being watched."

* * *

"Table for three please!" Naruto said, giggling excitedly.

The hostess glanced at Shikamaru and Sai, each linking arms with a very feminine, very sexy Naruto, and rolled her eyes. Sai was showing off his best fake smile and Shikamaru was avoiding the gazes of everyone in the restaurant simultaneously. Naruto owed him big time for this.

"We typically don't take walk-ins," the hostess explained.

Naruto turned his attention back towards the hostess, his big blue eyes suddenly narrowed seductively as he batted his eyelashes. "How about if I give you a kiss?"

The look of horror on Shikamaru's face was so apparent that the hostess actually laughed. Naruto was puckering his lips and making such a fool of himself that the hostess must have taken pity on them.

"I'll make an exception just this once," she said, grabbing three menus and handing them off to a waiter who was all but drooling over female Naruto.

"Perfect!" Naruto whispered. "Now we just have to find which table Sakura is sitting at and get the guy to drop his jutsu!"

* * *

"I can't believe you two used to do that!" Sakura was laughing, nearly spilling her wine glass all over the white tablecloth.

Kakashi had never seen her so carefree. He certainly hadn't heard her laugh like _that_ before. All of the knots in his stomach were tying together like it was their job and he could hardly swallow, let alone hold a decent conversation. It was their first date, and yet he was already in love with her. It would be completely improper to tell her on the first date, but as the evening wore on, he had a hard time concentrating on anything that wasn't telling her how he truly felt.

"Yeah, Tenzo… I mean, Captain Yamato and I go way back," Kakashi said. "I'm _old_ , remember?"

Sakura swirled one finger around the lip of her glass, sighing and giving Kakashi such a knowing look that he felt his heart leap into his throat. "Obviously not too old. I'm sure there are some species of dinosaurs who came before you."

Kakashi feigned hurt and Sakura laughed again. A musical, tinkling sound that she reserved only for him. God, he loved her.

"So can I ask you something kind of personal?" Sakura asked.

"Hmm?"

"Remember back when we first met and you did that dumb icebreaker exercise?"

"Back then you didn't think it was so dumb." Kakashi raised an eyebrow, smirking at her in such a Kakashi-way that she swore she could see him even through the transformation.

"Well, _I_ was dumb then, too. You didn't tell us anything about you that day."

"I didn't? That doesn't seem too out of character, I suppose."

"Would you be willing to tell me now?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi put one hand on his chin as if he were contemplating a much harder decision than a simple yes or no answer. Finally, after a pregnant pause, he nodded. "Sure. What do you want to know, Sakura?"

"Your hobbies, dreams for the future. That sort of thing," Sakura said, doing her best to mimic the detached, cool voice he used back then.

Kakashi laughed at her impression, and suddenly noticed a distinct lack of laughter on her part. He looked up to make sure she was all right, and his heart nearly stopped beating upon meeting her gaze. Her were sparkling in a way that he hadn't seen in a long time. That tint of wonder that had been trodden on from years of war and getting her heart broken over and over again. That tiny glimmer of childlike awe, unable to be trampled on as years passed and life grew more challenging.

And Kakashi felt himself wanting to tell her. _Needing_ to tell her. She would be the only person who knew the answer to those questions. She was the only one he trusted enough to tell.

* * *

"Can you see them?" Naruto asked, successfully releasing the sexy jutsu in order to focus more on the task at hand.

The waiter must have been sorely disappointed, as Shikamaru let out a snort when he came back to the table to take their order and realized that the sexy blonde was actually just a stupid boy.

"Yes!" Sai said. "Over there, three o'clock. The table near the potted plants."

Naruto squinted, catching a glimpse of pink among the dim candlelight. He was standing rather obliviously on the booth, much to many dining couples' irritation.

"She's _smiling_ ," Naruto said, frowning.

"The nerve of that guy, huh?" Shikamaru added sarcastically, one hand holding up his chin while the other picked at a rapidly cooling plate of calamari.

"Sai, we've got to get a closer look! If he really is using a jutsu, we won't be able to make him break it by standing over here," Naruto said.

* * *

"I like lots of things," Kakashi said.

"That's what you said last time." Sakura jabbed a fork in his direction accusatorily.

Kakashi held up his hands in defense. "You didn't let me finish," he continued. "My favorite things are reading, dogs, and miso soup with eggplant."

Sakura crinkled her nose.

"What?"

"Nothing. I guess I just figured that it would be something ultra secretive after all these years," she mused.

"Oh? Well, I didn't get to tell you about my dreams for the future yet," Kakashi pressed.

Sakura felt her heart begin to hammer away in her chest as he met her expression with a soft yet equally sultry gaze.

"And what dream would that be?" Sakura asked, her voice barely audible.

* * *

"Alright, on the count of three, we're both going to jump out holding these!" Naruto said from behind the potted plant nearest Sakura and Kakashi's booth.

"Butter knives?" Sai asked, holding up the dull blade and staring at his reflection in it quizzically.

"Yeah. Shuriken and kunai aren't allowed in non-ninja places I guess." Naruto shrugged.

"Are you sure about this?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Don't you get all chicken on me now, too! We're both part of Team Seven, so we've gotta both do whatever it takes to protect Sakura."

Sai's eyes widened ever so slightly and Naruto suppressed his satisfied chuckle. He may have been the village's number one hyperactive, knuckle-headed ninja, but he sure knew how to get what he wanted when it really mattered.

"Okay, on the count of three. One…two…" Sai started.

* * *

"My dream for the future changed recently. It's actually wanting to be—"

Sakura heard the clatter of dishes before she saw the culprits. Kakashi jumped up from his seat on instinct, successfully holding the jutsu and avoiding the butter knife sticking out from the tablecloth where his hand was resting moments before. Naruto and Sai were staring at Kakashi, each prepared to take him down as if he were some sort of criminal.

"Naruto? And Sai? What the hell are you doing here?!" Sakura asked, standing up and balling her hands into threatening fists.

"Sakura! Shikamaru said that your date is using a transformation jutsu to hide who he really is," Naruto said.

"Hey, don't bring me into this," Shikamaru said, lazily coming up behind them. "I only said that because you wouldn't listen to reason."

"We're here to protect you," Sai said simply.

"I don't need protecting," Sakura said. "Can't I just have one night without someone thinking something suspicious?"

Naruto shrunk back, an apologetic look instantly covering his face. Sakura let her hands drop to her sides again, staring helplessly between Naruto and Kakashi. She then turned around, picked up her purse, and walked out of the restaurant.

"So I guess you really aren't lying to her," Naruto said, turning his attention to a still-transformed, sorely disappointed Kakashi.

"Sorry," Sai added.

Kakashi simply nodded and took off after Sakura. She was well down the road by the time he caught up to her. She was hugging her sides tightly, her feet fumbling in her heels whenever she'd step on a pebble or dip in the road. But she wasn't crying unnecessarily. Despite the circumstances being poor, Kakashi couldn't help but feel proud of her. She really had grown up so much more than anyone realized.

"Yo," he said casually, sticking his hands in his pockets as he matched her pace, thankful to finally be able to drop the transformation.

"I feel responsible for them," Sakura said. "We couldn't even have one normal date."

Kakashi shrugged. "I still had a wonderful time."

"But what if this is always what it's going to be like?" Sakura asked, stopping and turning to look up at him with eyes so passionate it nearly startled him.

"Maybe. But what if it isn't?"

He quirked a small smile that she eventually returned. The air was warm and humming with nightlife. Everything felt so comfortable that it was impossible for Sakura to stay upset. Sure, she would have time to get back at Naruto and Sai for crashing her date, but she was with Kakashi _now._

"You never did tell me your dream for the future," she said, taking his hands in hers and running her thumbs over the place where leather gloves met skin.

"Looks like you'll just have to agree to go with me on a second date to find out," he said, brushing his lips against her forehead.

* * *

Sai had tried following Sakura out of the door the moment he made her upset. After all, she was Ino's best friend and Ino told him that apologizing when someone is upset right away is the quickest way to resolve conflict. But Naruto was hell-bent on waiting until the next morning when she wasn't feeling so "punchy," as he described it. And because Shikamaru couldn't care less about the situation, Sai decided to apologize to her on his own.

He only stopped in his tracks to give Sakura and her date space. He hadn't expected Shikamaru's joking hypothesis to come true. And he definitely hadn't expected the man behind the jutsu to be none other than Kakashi Hatake.

As soon as he saw them kiss, he wondered if there was a single guide on earth that could help him respond appropriately to a taboo relationship of that caliber.


	16. The Inevitability of the Grapevine

**Quick Info~**

"Lessons" updated? For real? Am I dreaming?

If you are asking yourself any of these questions, fear not. This is reality! I know it took my way longer than it should have to update. But I am back! With a 4,000+ word chapter to try and make up for my absence. The plot thickens... At first, I was really nervous to post this chapter since the last one was so cute and this one is more, umm, tense. This story needs a continued plot line, though, and I've been toying with this idea for almost a year so I am pretty satisfied with where it is headed so far. Hopefully you all think so, too!

Thank you to everyone who has been patiently waiting for this update! Your reviews/favorites/follows are one of the main reasons I was able to get this out as soon as I did. I hope you enjoy where I am taking this! Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I like Sai. A lot, actually. However, due to his involvement in the last chapter, I believe that it would be in his character to act the way that he does in this chapter. I do not dislike any of the characters in Naruto (except Danzo), so there is no need to assume that I am writing Sai as a villain or something. He's much more of a concerned friend. :)

* * *

"Thank you for meeting with me, Lady Hokage," Sai said, bowing graciously.

Tsunade was staring at him curiously, half-wondering what he could possibly want urgently enough to take her away from her mountain of paperwork and half-grateful for the distraction from the aforementioned paperwork mountain. She was always a mysterious person to Sai. He never did quite understand why she exerted chakra just to keep up physical appearances. Then again, he supposed he didn't understand most of the beauty rituals the women in the village sought after.

"What can I help you with?" she asked.

"Well, it's about Kakashi Hatake," Sai explained carefully.

He had been going over what to say in his head from the moment he saw Kakashi and Sakura's kiss. Should he bring it to Tsunade's attention? Should he keep it a secret? He had been brought up to follow the rules and protect the village against all personal feelings. Old habits die hard, he supposed, and that was precisely why he was in the Hokage office after all.

"What about him?" Tsunade asked, narrowing her eyes and leaning forward in her chair.

Sai gulped. "It's just that I discovered an interesting bit of information about him."

"I didn't think Hatake was the type of man to divulge his pending Kage position," Tsunade mused. "Although, I suppose you were part of Team Seven and he does have a soft spot for all of you."

"I'm sorry. Did you say pending _Kage_ position, m'lady?" Sai asked.

Tsunade's eyes widened briefly and she cleared her throat. "Ah, I see. So he didn't tell you?"

Sai shook his head. "No, m'lady. But I will do my best not to spread the information around."

Tsunade nodded, attempting to remain as cool as possible despite her blunder. Sai wasn't the worst person she could have told. No, people like Naruto and Gai were the ones she had to worry about. However, she was sure as hell counting her lucky stars that the high-stress, tightlipped Hokage job would soon be passed on. She was so close to retirement that she could practically see the poker chips and gambling vacations gleaming in the corner of her eye.

"Sai, I trust you won't tell anyone until Kakashi announces it himself," Tsunade said. "But if you weren't here to talk about the Hokage position, what was it you wanted to tell me about him?"

If keeping the village safe was Sai's most important goal, then he oughtn't tell her anything about Kakashi and Sakura. The village needed a new leader. A younger leader. A leader who didn't lead during the tiresome fourth shinobi war. Sai didn't know a lot about choosing Hokages, but he was sure that the village elders didn't have a long list of backups. And if Kakashi was the best choice for the job, then any backup they chose just wouldn't be the perfect fit. After all, it wasn't like Kakashi was a secret murderer or anything.

"I had, err, heard a rumor," Sai mumbled.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, making Sai feel like shrinking back into the wall.

"And what rumor would that be?"

"Just that he…um…" Sai scratched the back of his neck, trying to stare at the ceiling, the floor, anything that wasn't directly at Tsunade.

But her gaze was as sharp as a hawk's and, try as he might, he couldn't escape the caramel glint of her irises. Sai took a deep breath and channeled everything he learned in the Foundation into lying to the Fifth Hokage. Everything he learned about deception, about playing a role. Every last dirty trick in Danzo's book.

"That he was taking on another team of Genin, of course," he finished, a fake smile firmly plastered across his face.

Tsunade did not say anything for a while. She simply stared him down, as if she was hoping he would crack under the pressure and tell her the truth. A lot of odd rumors had been circulating around the hospital; Tsunade had to admit that. However, only a handful involved Kakashi and it was nothing too scandalous. Besides, Tsunade rarely paid much attention to the gossip Shizune was apparently so involved with.

"Ah. Well, I'm sure you realize that those are all false now," she said.

"Right, Milady," Sai said.

"If that's all I have quite a bit of work to get to," she said, her teeth suddenly chewing anxiously at her lower lip.

"Right," Sai said again and he turned to leave.

As soon as he was out of earshot and out of sight, Tsunade nearly ripped the handle off of the door to the Hokage office as she stormed out to find Shizune. After turning down a handful of hallways, she finally located her apprentice.

Shizune was chatting casually with a Jonin holding a stack of paperwork in the lobby of the main entrance. Tsunade always walked in a way that meant business. Even those on the ground level complained that they could hear her stomping around multiple floors up. So it was no surprise to anyone when Tsunade rounded the corner with a feverish look of determination on her face.

What was a surprise, however, was when she followed up her stomping about with, "Shizune, I need to know the latest gossip!"

The Jonin conversing with Shizune went slack-jawed and quietly bowed out of the room. Shizune laughed, stooping down to pick up Tonton, before giving Tsunade an amused look.

"You've never cared about hospital gossip before," she said.

"Yes, well, now I do. What's new?"

Shizune paused for a moment, her eyes rolling up to the ceiling as if she were searching for an answer somewhere among the white tiles.

"The newest thing I heard was that Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sai crashed Sakura's date last night," she said.

Tsunade almost wanted to laugh. _Almost._ Instead, she ended up picturing the time that Jiraiya faked chakra exhaustion so that she had to leave a date with Dan in order to help him. The apple really does not fall far from the tree, as far as mentors and apprentices go.

"Anything about Kakashi Hatake?" Tsunade asked impatiently.

"Kakashi?" Shizune crinkled her nose. "Not really. Some of the girls think he has a new girlfriend, but I'm sure you've heard those rumors numerous times throughout the past couple of years. "

Tsunade nodded. Kakashi had always been one of the most mysterious, most sought after ninja in the village. The fact that he hadn't taken a wife was quite surprising, given how many women found him attractive, but the fact that he hadn't so much as been _seen_ with a woman outside of his coworkers was downright baffling. Of course people were bound to talk, speculate, and create rumors about his love life.

"Nothing about him forming a new team of Genin?" Tsunade asked.

"No," Shizune answered. "Why would he do that if he's being promoted?"

Tsunade scowled, her eyes darting out the nearest window as if she was hoping her glare could somehow reach wherever Sai was presently. If she could punch through an entire boulder without so much as scraping a single knuckle, how hard would it _really_ be to stab someone in the back with eye-daggers?

Tsunade straightened then, and crossed her arms over her chest. She let out a weak chuckle before saying, "I suppose that's what I get for trying to pay attention to stupid hospital gossip."

If Shizune had just started working for Tsunade, she would have felt inclined to defend the adjective used to describe the hospital gossip. But after working with the Sannin for years, she learned to let offhanded remarks slide off of her back.

"If you don't need anything else, I really should get going, m'lady," Shizune said.

Tsunade nodded and shooed Shizune away with her hand. "Thank you for your help, as always."

If Kakashi taking on a new team of genin had not made it's way into the central gossip hub, there was no way a Jonin as detached as Sai could have heard it. She would figure out a way to get the truth out of him, one way or another.

* * *

"We're not those stupid mutts, girl. Kakashi doesn't give us baths," Pakkun said, sprawled out on Sakura's rug.

It was white, or at least it _used_ to be, until an ever-so-charming array of muddy paw prints littered the bottom left side and trailed to the middle—where it ended in a big brown blob that just so happened to be Pakkun-shaped.

Sakura sighed, shooting the other Ninken death glares whenever they tried to so much as scoot an inch off of the welcome mat in front of the door. At least the others were still afraid of her wrath. Pakkun had far too much experience with her growing up, so of course he felt entitled to walk wherever he so chose.

"I suppose Kakashi doesn't like to buy replacement rugs, either?" Sakura asked, propping her feet up on her coffee table and stretching for a magazine that was really only a fingertip's length out of reach.

She huffed and dropped her hand on the couch cushion in defeat, causing Pakkun to raise an ear and snort in amusement.

"Maybe you two should stop spending so much time together," he said.

"And why's that?" Sakura asked.

"His laziness is clearly starting to rub off on you," Pakkun answered, standing only to circle around a few times—leaving more muddy prints in his wake—before plopping back down in a position that was maybe only an inch to the right.

"I don't know if I would say that to the girl who's letting you traipse around her floor like it's a pig pen."

And before Sakura and Pakkun could really get into it, her apartment door flung open unceremoniously, moving the rest of the Ninken and all twenty-eight of their paws to the carpet. Kakashi glanced at the carpet, then at Sakura, who was staring at him with an expression stuck somewhere between disbelief and the unbridled urge to laugh.

"I'm assuming your trip to the lake went well," she said, raking her eyes up and down his clothes (just as soiled as the dogs', if not worse).

"There was a little incident with a kunai and a squirrel. Seems like even after all these years it's still hard to reign in their natural instants." Kakashi shot a look at the ninken, who in turn gave back expressions ranging from uncaring to slightly apologetic.

"The same could be said about you," Sakura said, watching as Kakashi began leaving his own trail of muddy lake water behind him.

He leaned over the back of the couch, lowering his mask to kiss her forehead.

"Are you proposing that you'd like to train me, Sakura?" he asked, peering at her upside down.

Her cheeks flushed, but she still managed to roll her eyes and grab the fabric of his mask, yanking it back up his face and letting it smack angrily against his skin. He stood and staggered backwards, feigning hurt.

"You're such a ham," she said, turning and kneeling on the couch cushion to face him.

"I wonder what that says about you?"

Sakura smiled and stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "Clearly that I indulge you too much."

"It must be my turn to indulge you, then," he said, crossing his arms and lifting the tight black undershirt up over his head before casually tossing it to the side.

Sakura's breath caught in her throat and she wondered how she never quite noticed his impeccable shape before the start of their relationship. "I'm not even mad that I'm going to have to clean even more of my carpet now."

"I'm taking that as permission, just so you know," Kakashi said.

"Permission for wh—"

Before she could finish her sentence, strong arms were pulling her towards him and against his chest. She squealed as he nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck and ran his dirty hands up and down her sides.

"Hatake I will…end…you!" sounded a lot less menacing when it was voiced in between giggles and, quite frankly, only made Kakashi want to mess with her more.

But as things often did, his hands stopped tickling her and instead rested on her waist, and her breathing previously labored with laughter was instead uneven for an entirely different reason. And as things often did, his lips were crashing against hers like waves that just couldn't stay away from the shoreline.

"Why don't we take this somewhere we can clean you up?" Sakura murmured against his lips, her fingers running gently through the messy hair at the nape of his neck.

Lifting her shirt up over her head and shimmying her pants down to her ankles was more than enough of an answer to her question. Kakashi bent down as she stepped out of her pants, pressing kisses to the silky smoothness of her thighs and traveling slowly upward. He stopped at her panties just long enough to give her an innocent grin, before tugging them down so hard and fast that she nearly yelped in surprise.

He continued his kisses in a much more intimate spot then, slow and burning and so goddamn dizzying that Sakura had to steady herself by grasping onto his hair. Her head pitched back and she let out a long, low moan. By the time that his tongue teased her entrance, she nearly buckled over.

"Kakashi, we…the shower…" she moaned helplessly.

Trying to get him to stand back up when she could hardly stand herself was an impossible feat. He chuckled at her pathetic attempt to lift him gently as her hands cupped his cheeks. The sound vibrated against her, causing shivers to rack her body and make every hair stand pleasurably on-end.

And just as she found herself nearing the edge, he pulled away, planting one last wet kiss on her inner thigh. She blinked in confusion, her brain still muddled with lust, until the floodgates of frustration opened and she frowned.

"What was that for?" she asked, trying to steady her quivering legs.

Kakashi shrugged. "You said you wanted to go in the shower."

"You're mean," she chided and he took her hand and began guiding her towards the bathroom.

As soon as the water was turned on and beginning to steam, Kakashi was on her like a predator on prey. Except this prey was hardly meek and submissive. Sakura was able to deal nearly tenfold whatever Kakashi dished out. His kisses were met with longer, more sensual ones. His touches along her sides were met with nails pressing into his back as she tried to fight back the overwhelming urge to ride him before they even got in the water.

They stumbled clumsily into the shower together, the hot water rushing in the few empty spaces between them. Sakura knew she should have been grossed out as soon as the dried mud on his arms and legs started to liquefy and rub off on her, but she was far too focused on the orgasm Kakashi had left hanging.

He pressed her back against the cool tile on the shower wall, hiking her up it ever so slightly to fit his hips in between hers. She tried to grasp at his skin as he sunk into her, but the water made both of their bodies far too slick.

"Am I still mean?" he asked, nipping lightly at her ear as he began to thrust into her.

She wanted to answer him, to tease and tell him that yes, he was very much still an asshole for leaving her hanging like that, but the words were washed down the shower drain before they could even be vocalized. The only sort of response she gave him at all was shifting slightly to the right so that he could get a better angle.

Despite how bleary her brain felt, she couldn't help but marvel at the fact that he was there with her. One month and a half ago she was shamelessly pleasuring herself to the image of him in the very same shower that he was now using to make love to her. Actual, real love. And if that thought alone wasn't enough to make her blurt out that she loved him—actually, really loved him—then she wasn't sure what it would take to finally force her to admit it.

Thankfully, any thoughts she had on the subject of professing her feelings in the middle of sex—something she had learned from Ino's ex-boyfriend horror stories was a definite mood killer—were wiped away with her approaching orgasm. Kakashi's breathing was labored and his thrusts began to lose rhythm as he held her hips in place with enough force to leave marks on her skin.

She cried out first, burying her face in the crook of his neck as she whimpered his name in broken syllables. He took a shuddering step back, sliding out of her and smacking one hand against the wall to steady himself. They watched as the aftermath mixed in with the water and went down the drain, panting with that same shared look of disbelief that this was really happening.

"I know this might be a bad time," Kakashi started as soon as they managed to catch their breath.

"I thought maybe we could talk." Sakura's words covered his nearly identically in their timing.

She giggled and Kakashi gave her a small smile.

"You go first," he said.

"No, go ahead," she offered.

He straightened, brushing wet strands of pink out of her face and tucking them behind her ear. He felt nervous, far too nervous, and he was sure if he didn't tell her soon his vocal chords would clam up.

The word he wanted to say was a word he rarely used, and had never used before in this context. A word that was somehow coupled with loss despite their near opposite definitions.

He loved his father and his father died. He loved Rin and Obito and Minato, and they died, too. The last time he even dared to _think_ the word was when he saw Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura come together as a team to save the world, but he didn't dare speak it because he couldn't lose them, too.

And now here he was, as vulnerable as he could possibly be, ready to tell Sakura that he was in love with her and that, at this rate, he probably always would be. The thought alone, even if it was only for a moment, was enough to smother the fear suffocating his heart.

"I've been meaning to tell you…" Kakashi started.

One loud bang on the bathroom door made Sakura let out a tiny yelp of surprise. Kakashi quirked the biggest 'are-you-f'ing-kidding-me-right-now' face, but drew himself away from Sakura's body so that she had room to get out of the shower.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Wait here, okay?"

Kakashi nodded and helped Sakura out of the shower. She proceeded to wrap a towel around her chest and Kakashi listened as the patter of her wet feet against the wood floor grew fainter. He rested his head against the cool tile where her body had been just a moment before and sighed. Whatever, or whoever, was at the door better make it quick.

"If you don't disappear within the next ten seconds, I'm kicking you out the window," Sakura hissed at Pakkun and the rest of Kakashi's ninken as she approached the door.

"We got the message," Pakkun said, standing and stretching before disappearing with his pack in a puff of smoke.

Sakura opened the front door tentatively, praying that it wasn't Tsunade or her landlord or a newly titled shower inspector specifically hired to catch two people in the act. Thankfully, it was just Sai, and she let out a breath of relief.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Sai looked her up and down for a moment, as if wondering why on earth she would willingly open the door in just a towel. But then again, he had deemed Sakura as rather weird a long time ago, so he wouldn't put it past her.

"Can I come in?" he asked cheerfully.

Sakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she cracked the door open just enough to let him inside. He slid past the doorframe and his eyes immediately locked onto her soiled carpet.

"I didn't know you had any pets," he said, pointing to the array of paw prints parading around the white rug.

"Oh, yeah, I don't," she said. "I was watching one of the Inuzuka dogs while Kiba ran some errands."

"Looks more like a whole pack," Sai said.

Sakura waved away his curiosity and offered him a seat on her couch.

"Do you do Kiba's laundry, too?" Sai asked.

"No?" Sakura quirked her head to the side, trying to follow his gaze.

When she reached the spot he was staring at, she felt her chest tighten. Kakashi's muddy clothing was still lying in a pile on her floor. How could she explain that? She couldn't, at least not in any way that sounded the least bit rational. So she did the only thing she could think to do in that moment: allow the infamous Inner Sakura to yell him into submission.

"You're awfully curious today. Remind me again why it's any of your business who's clothing is where in my apartment?" Sakura asked, smiling in that sickly fake way.

"You're smiling but I can tell you're angry," Sai said.

"Maybe because you showed up unannounced asking a bunch of personal questions?"

"Because there's something I need to tell you," he said.

The seriousness of his tone caught Sakura extremely off guard. Her defensiveness began to shrivel up inside of her and her look of irritation was replaced with one of genuine concern.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Sai paled, if that was at all possible, and stood rigidly still. He pursed his lips as his eyes screwed up towards the ceiling, as if he were carefully weighing all of his words before they came tumbling out.

"It's about the night that Naruto, Shikamaru, and I crashed your date," he said slowly.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. "It's about time I got a proper apology for that."

"No—well, I mean, maybe the way we acted was in poor taste, but Naruto was right in the end," Sai said.

"Naruto was _right_ about something? Don't look so down in the dumps, it's actually happened a few times before," Sakura said, placing a hand on her chin thoughtfully.

Sai chuckled dryly once and Sakura rolled her eyes. He still hadn't mastered the courtesy laugh.

"Your date was using a transformation jutsu," Sai said.

Sakura froze, her mind suddenly tripping over itself to get into explanation overdrive. Should she act surprised? It was probably too late for that by now and Sai would see through it. Should she act angry again? That would most likely only make her seem more suspicious. Should she just come clean? After all, Kakashi did say she could tell whomever she wanted. Instead she decided to stay quiet, her eyes searching Sai's for some inkling inside of his mind. The response she got was just as blank as usual.

"You and Kakashi-sensei are an item," Sai said finally.

"Oh…that." Sakura was quiet, her gaze fixated on the muddy carpet where Pakkun had been lying just moments before.

The muddy carpet that made Sakura feel like everything seemed easy and almost normal for once. She should have laughed, really, because when was her life ever normal?

"I didn't mean to pry," Sai said, holding up his hands in defense as if he were waiting for her to explode. "I was actually going to find you to apologize. Ino said apologizing right away is better than waiting because feelings are at their realest in the moment. Anyway, I followed you and I watched him drop the jutsu to give you a kiss."

"So what now?" Sakura asked. "You're in ANBU. Are you planning on reporting us? I'm more than old enough to consent. He isn't doing anything that I don't want him to do."

Her gaze was threatening, almost as if she were challenging him to try and rat them out. Despite knowing Sai for years, he was still sort of a wild card. His loyalty to Konoha was pretty apparent, as he followed Danzo for the sake of the village for year, but it was _because_ of Danzo that Sai still had a sort of stigma surrounding him. Even if Sakura would never admit it, not trusting him was rooted in the deepest, darkest parts of her soul at times.

"I'm not going to tell," Sai said. "I just think you should try and figure out the person that you're with. Kakashi-sensei may have trained you, but there's probably a lot to your relationship that you don't know about yet."

"Everyone has secrets," Sakura said.

Sai nodded. "Some bigger than others."

Sakura shrugged, her stubbornness refusing to let him know that his words bothered her slightly.

"I'm sure Ino knows about you two," Sai said. "It explains the painting I did for your birthday.

"Yes, I told her."

"It's good to trust your friends. Anyway, I should be going." Sai smiled and gave her a friendly wave before disappearing.

Sakura stood in the living room for what felt like an eternity. She felt a strange coldness wash over her body, like she had just been dunked unsuspectingly in ice water and couldn't catch her breath when she came back up. Sai left an uncomfortable oddness in the air that she couldn't put her finger on yet couldn't seem to shake either. And even though she wanted to join Kakashi in the shower again, it just felt…weird. Everything felt weird.

So she did the only thing she could think of.

"Kakashi?" she called. "Could you come out here for a bit?"


End file.
